Eternal means Forever
by Neko-Tenchi
Summary: After vowing to find her again Kohaku returns to search for Chihiro but cannot find her. time passes and he meets a interesting child who reminds him so much of his beloved, she may be the key to their happiness
1. Chapter 1

**A NEW STORY! I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT, IM HOPING FOR AT LEAST THREE-FOUR REVEIWS.**

**I'VE CHANGED A FEW PARTS HERE, BUT THEY ARE ABSOULOUTLY NESSESARY TO THE STORY. ALSO IT'S A LITTLE MUSHY; I WAS IN A GOOD MOOD.**

**PLEASE ENJOY AND REVEIW**

**I DONT OWN SPIRITED AWAY**

_This part is set during the part when Chihiro is riding on Haku's back and she remembers his name_

**Chapter one**

Chihiro clung tightly to Haku's back as they soared through the wind. She pressed her face into his scaly neck, trying as hard as she could to get closer to him, to the boy who had saved her so many times. It may seem impossible, but during her time in the bath house, she suspected that her little crush on him might have developed into love. His kindness, his strength…from the moment she had first seen him on that bridge she had felt connected to him. That connection grew into love.

Chihiro had always felt drawn to Haku, but she never understood why. She always wanted to see him, always worried about him. Even when people told her he was evil, she just couldn't bring herself to believe it. To think that Haku would betray her had almost made her cry at the beginning, but now she knew that could never happen. She trusted Haku with a trust like she had known him for her whole life. When her thoughts weren't occupied with her parents they were filled with him. But she did not know why.

But then after seeing him like that, covered in injuries and bleeding, with those paper birds continuously hurting him, her heart had frozen. That moment, everything went from her mind, her parents, her bondage, her job, her life. All that mattered was Haku, she didn't think of anything else but getting him to safety and then getting to him. She wanted to be by his side so badly it hurt.

That was when she had known what her feelings were, love. Even Kamaji and Granny Zeniba had confirmed it, she loved Haku.

She hugged herself to him, and suddenly, flashes of something went through her mind. Images of herself riding on something in the water, waves, her shoe, water everywhere, she heard the sound of a running river, saw herself falling into water, about to drown until suddenly she felt warm body beneath her as the waves suddenly caressed her instead of hurting her. She felt safe.

* * *

If Haku were in his human form he would have sighed, how good it felt to have his mind back. For some reason after waking up in Kamaji's boiler room, he'd felt so free, his soul was his own again. He still belonged to Yubaba, but only, he didn't feel the same pull on his soul he usually got. That could only mean one thing; the black slug that Yubaba had put in his body was gone. He didn't know how or what had happened to make it that way, but he was thankful.

But now his love for Chihiro was even stronger, it was going to break his heart to let her go. He felt her press her face into his dragon's neck, she was so close, he wanted to hold her. The smart, brave, beautiful human girl. He had remembered her when he couldn't even remember his own name. It was her, who had drawn out his long forgotten emotions. It had been her all along. In his life before the bath house he must have been in love with her, because these feeling had triggered at first sight, long ago when he saw her on the bridge. He was too practical to believe in love at first sight. Kamaji said it was those feelings that had allowed his to sense Chihiro's true name.

And he said it was Chihiro's returned feelings that had allowed her to call him back from the brink of death.

He did not regret his feelings, even if they were hopeless, but he would have regretted not falling in love with her. Haku would rather feel heartbreak than to have never felt love at all. He would never want to forget this feeling, it had been the feeling to penetrate Yubaba's curse, to make him normal, it led him to her. Without this feeling, Chihiro would be either dead or would have been turned into a pig and eaten for a crime she didn't commit.

He growled, there was no way he would let Yubaba do that to Chihiro. Yubaba had his name, his identity, his freedom; the old witch wasn't going to take anything else precious to him away.

But the only problem was that she would definitely try, in order to control him. Yubaba would do anything to gain control of him again, including harming his human love. And that was why she had to go back to her world, she would be safe there. His feelings could be put on hold, but there would be no point if she were gone.

He loved, her, which was why he was going to have to let her go.

She hugged onto him and suddenly she shivered, he tensed, what was wrong? He wanted to turn and see her but he needed to keep his head forward to see where he was going. She suddenly whispered.

* * *

Chihiro remembered! She remembered, her heart filled with a building joy, but she kept her voice level, should she be wrong she didn't want to get Haku's hope's up. "Haku listen" she said leaning forward "I just remembered something from long time ago; I think it may help you"

She hoped so hard it would help him, "Once when I was little, I dropped my shoe into a river. And when I tried to get it back I fell in. I thought I'd drown, but the water carried me to shore. It finally came back to me, the river's name was, the Kohaku River. I think that was you! And you real name is, Kohaku River!"

She gasped as suddenly as his scales began to fall away into the wind. His dragon form disappeared till she was sitting on the back of the boy. They began to fall, but for some reason, she wasn't scared. In mid-air she grabbed his hand and tried to reach for the other one, she missed the first time but Haku caught it.

"You did it Chihiro" he cried "I remember I was the spirit of the Kohaku River!" she smiled so widely "A river spirit?"

"My name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi"

"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi?" she asked "What a wonderful name, it sounds like a god!"

Her heart sang. His forest green eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness, and she had made that happen. She never wanted this happiness to end. But then something else came to mind "They filled in that river, it's almost all apartments now" she watched him for any sign of sadness, but instead there was simply realisation.

"That must be why I can't find my way home Chihiro, I remember you falling into my river, and I remember your little pink shoe"

"So you're the one who carried me to shallow waters, you saved me." She pressed her forehead to his and whispered "I knew you were good" she loved him so much.

* * *

Haku couldn't believe it, his name, his name! He had his name back; he repeated it in his head, the Kohaku River, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi.

He was a river spirit, he had saved his beloved before, he had met her and now after all this time she had come back into his life and this time, she saved him, in more ways than one. Suddenly more memories began filling in his mind. The very day she fell into his river, what had lead him to save her. and suddenly everything made sense, why he had loved from the moment he saw her on the bridge, why he had felt so compelled to protect her. Why he knew her name! It all made sense.

She pressed her forehead to his and whispered "I knew you were good"

'Chihiro' his heart seemed to sing, he loved her too much, how was he going to let her go? Her lips were so close, he took this one chance. He was probably never going to see her again, not for a long time. He didn't think about the consequences, whether or not she loved him back, but his heart moved his body and went against his mind.

He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. She stiffened for a moment, and in that time he came to his senses and pulled away. His heart dropped slightly at her tensing, but then she whispered something that changed everything. "Haku…I think I love you"

He froze this time, had she just said she loved him. He looked at her, the shock showing clearly on his face.

He tried to answer but then noticed that they were nearing the sea at the bottom of the drop. There were some smaller islands there to so Haku...no Kohaku, slowed down the falling with his magic till their feet touched ground. But he barely noticed, he was too busy looking into her shimmering grey eyes. His heart was pounding. "You love me?"

She nodded "I think so…no, I know so. I've loved you for a very long time, almost since the first time I met you, but it took a long time to realize it. At first, I thought it was because you had saved me. You help me when I was so scared, without you I would be dead by now. You were my first ally." She sniffed a little and rubbed her eyes "But when I thought you had died, I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. I had never felt like that before, like if you died, there was no point anymore." She smiled radiantly "But you're alive! I'm so happy! I can't lie to myself anymore, I love you Haku." She looked at his shocked expression and frowned slightly "I'm sorry if that troubles you, but I can't do anything about the way I feel about you" she cried out.

Kohaku didn't know what to say, she loved him! He couldn't remember the last time someone had said that to him. She loved him.

How to reply? He didn't know what to day, so he decided to show her.

He took her hand gently "Chihiro listen" and he pressed it to the place on his chest where his heart was "You feel that?" he asked softly, now it was her turn to look surprised. But she could feel it, he was sure of that, the thudding of his heart on her fingertips. "When Yubaba stole my name I didn't remember anything about my past, and everything I did was for her benefit. I was her slave. All my feelings were locked away deeply inside of me...all except for one."

He took both of her hands "When I first saw you I remembered you, my feelings for you from then were the first emotion to escape Yubaba's spell. Despite everything I remembered you; my feelings for you had not changed." Looked deeply into her eyes, "Chihiro, your feelings aren't troubling, I've loved you since the very beginning"

She was crying again, he let go of her hands to wipe them away but didn't get the chance as she flung herself into his arms. Boh and the Yu-bird had turned away out of respect, but Kohaku couldn't care less, she was in his arms.

She held her to him tightly, so tight, she was pressed up to his chest, like if he let her go for even one second, she might disappear.

But she would disappear; he would have to let her go. He pulled away though everything was at screaming to him not to. She let him, only to press her lips to his in a kiss. Whatever he was planning to do was lost as her lips came down on his; he was lost in the sheer emotions that burst though. So much emotion in one day, his mind wasn't used to it. So it did what some minds would do, it acted on them as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed back.

They pulled away and he held her again, her face nestled in the crook of his neck and his chin on top of her head.

"What's wrong? She asked, confused

He shook his head "We can't do this." It was unavoidable; he knew she had to leave; it was the only way to protect her. Therefore, this wasn't right, but he couldn't bring himself to let go. Especially now that he remembered exactly what she was to him.

"I don't' understand?" she answered to his words

"Because you have to go back, with your parents"

"No!" she cried holding on tight to him.

"It can't be helped" he said sadly, pulling her away, he looked down at her as she shook her head "Do you want your parents to remain as pigs? If not then you have to go home" he was saying this to more convince himself than her.

"I don't want my mom and dad to stay pigs, I wanna go home. But I don't want to lose you Haku!" she cried pressing her face to his chest "I have this terrible feeling, I just know that we say goodbye now we'll never meet again!"

His heart broke at her tears as he pulled her close again, if those slugs and frogs could only see him now, they would never let him live it down. His sharp unemotional reputation, no one would believe he could ever be so gentle with anyone. Especially a little human girl, but Chihiro was different.

He held her tightly "I don't want to lose you either. If I could I wouldn't let you go ever again. But you have to get your parents and you have to go home" he thought about her leaving. If she left she would be able to have a normal life, she could grow up, get an education, fall in love, and marry.

He growled at the thought of her belonging to anyone else, she was his, he was the one who had protected her so many times, he loved her more than another male could ever even hope to try. He knew it was for the best, he had done so much to secure her freedom and steel his mind for her leaving. So no matter what his feelings were, this was what was meant to happen.

He felt her tears on his shirt and bent down close to her ear and whispered "Please know, if your parents weren't involved, I would free myself now, then do everything I could to have you stay with me safely" she stilled and clutched on tighter. "But you have to go home for now."

He tightened his hold "I promise to come find you again one day"

She looked up "Promise?"

"With a free mind, I will break away and build a place in this world for us. If you still want me, I promise that when that day comes we will never be apart again."

She still looked uncertain so he tilted her face till it was level with his "You said you loved me right?" she nodded "How much?"

"My feeling will never change, no now, not ever! I'm not stupid, I know hearts change, but I just know deep down that mine wont! Somehow, I know that I'll feel this way forever!" she answered right off the bat.

"Then we have nothing to worry about because" he smiled "I believe we'll definitely meet again"

She pressed her forehead into his chest. "But what about if you end up falling in love with someone else? Or if you forget about me?" she cried.

He shook his head and took her hands in his "I will never forget you Chihiro. And for as long as I live, I will only ever love you. You and you only. My heart will be yours and my spirit will always seek to find you"

She nodded.

"And I promise that I will never love anyone but you, and no matter what I will most definitely not be able to belong to anyone else."

Then something felt as strange, a wired burning warmth spreading throughout his body, it disappeared as soon as it had appeared. Haku put it down to being caught up in the moment. "Then we will have nothing to worry about. I will come for you someday. And if by then you'll still have me, I'll bring you back with me, no matter what I won't stop till you're by my side. You only have to wait."

She nodded "I will" they embraced again, but neither of the two lovers noticed the burning golden Kanji sign on the back of their hands. It burned bright, two separate kanji. On their own they were simple words, but together they were a promise.

* * *

Chihiro felt her feet touch down onto the wooden planks of the bathhouse bridge. Haku's hand in her own she felt happy, but she also knew this happiness wasn't to last. She looked forward, there was Yubaba, standing there in the centre of the bridge, her face as big as she remembered. It was almost funny how alike the two sisters Zeniba and Yubaba looked alike, only Yubaba lacked the kind warmness that was in Zeniba's eyes. She remembered how afraid she had been of the old witch the first time she saw her, she wasn't afraid now.

Boh and the Yu-bird left her shoulder in their mouse and little bird forms and flew over to Yubaba who was stationed there, looking livid. "I see you failed to bring my baby back" she said, but seconds after that accusation she looked up as Boh changed back and fell to the ground with a thud "Mama!" he cried.

"My Baby!" she cried rushing over to hug his wide waist "Are you traumatised, did they do terrible things to you?" she noticed that he was taller that her "You're standing up, all by yourself, when did that happen?"

"Don't forget your promise" Kohaku yelled out from beside her, gone was the face of Kohaku that she had seen yesterday when they had confessed their love for each other and now here was the cold, stern Haku who was the bathhouse's second in command. "You must return Chihiro and her parents back to the human world"

She knew it had to be done, so Chihiro steeled her heart and straitened herself ready to do what had to be done. But Yubaba wasn't having it "Not so fast Haku" she snapped "I get to give Sen one final test"

Instantly the frogs and slugs behind Yubaba on the roofs started booing and yelling, Chihiro barely noticed the people who had once hated her defending her, her mind was still on what Yubaba had said. One final test, Haku hadn't told her this.

"Shut up!" Yubaba yelled at them and they quietened. "Stop it Mama, leave her alone" Chihiro woke up from her daydream to see Boh contradicting his mother. Yubaba gasped "Sen and I had a really good time" he said cheerfully.

Yubaba tried to reason with him "But a deal is a deal sweetie, I have to give Sen one final test" Boh frowned "If you make Sen cry I won't like you anymore"

Chihiro almost laughed at the shocked expression on her face. Boh, everyone, Kohaku, they were all doing their best to help her get home. She wouldn't let them down. "B-but..." Yubaba gasped, but was interrupted by Chihiro's call "Hey granny"

"Granny?" Yubaba cried out in shock.

"You're right, a deal's a deal" she stepped forward and began walking towards Yubaba. "Ok, I'm ready I'll take your test". Yubaba looked down at her approvingly "You've got guts" she held up a rolled up piece of parchment "I've got your contract right here, come this way" to Boh she said in a sweeter voice "This'll only take a minuet" and then Chihiro looked to Boy's worried face and said kindly "Don't worry"

They stepped up to a group of pigs that were held back by a piece of rope, the squealed and grunted at her. "See if you can tell which one of these pigs is your mother and father"

Chihiro understood now, Yubaba didn't think she'd be able to tell. But Kohaku had once taken her to see her parents while they were still pigs "you get one try" Yubaba continued "If you get it right then you can all go home."

Chihiro looked for a while, but then noticed something strange. "There must be a mistake; none of these pigs are my Mom or Dad"

"None of them, is that really your answer?"

Chihiro thought for a moment and then nodded. Almost immediately the parchment in Yubaba's hand exploded and the pigs turned into Frogs and Yuna's in a puff of smoke who all cried out "YOU GOT IT!" simultaneously.

The whole bathhouse began cheering wildly. Chihiro smiled, they were all there, Lin, Kamaji, that weird frog who had scared her on the bridge that time. They were all here and cheering for her. "Thank you everyone!"

Yubaba scowled "All right, you win, get out of my sight" Chihiro looked to the old woman, for all she had done she really still couldn't hate her. After all, without her she would never have met Haku. She bowed "Thanks for everything granny" Yubaba snorted as Chihiro ran back. "Goodbye! Thank you!" She waved to them all, aware that she was leaving them for who knows how long, her heart hurt for it. But she told herself that she would come back one day by Haku's side.

She looked forward "Haku!" she cried as she took the hand he held out "Let's go". She took it and they ran. Through the streets of the restaurant town "Where are my Mom and Dad?" she asked confused. "When you passed the test, they woke up on the human side of the river. They're there now...looking for you" his voice faded slightly, sadly"

They reached the stone steps and Chihiro noticed something different "there's no water here, I can walk across now."

* * *

Kohaku looked down for a moment "But I can't go any further" Chihiro turned to look at him, he continued "Just go back the way you came, you'll be fine, but you have to promise not to look back not until you've crossed the tunnel" she frowned worriedly "What about you, what'll you do?"

Kohaku smiled "Don't worry, I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba, I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice" he couldn't help taking her into his arms then, he held her close one last time "I'm fine, I got my name back"

"Will we meet again sometime soon?" She asked quietly

"I'm sure we will"

"Promise?" she whispered

"Promise" he replied and pulled away to leave a kiss on her lips.

"Don't make me wait too long Haku" she warned

He smiled "I promise I will come and find you as soon as possible. I love you" he whispered softly, "Now go" he pushed her away till he only held her hand "And don't look back."

She went, Kohaku felt her hand slip out of his. She ran for a moment and then stopped "Kohaku!" she cried, true to his warning she did not turn around, instead she cried out "If you forget to come back for me, I want forgive you easily, I love you" and with that she ran off. Kohaku watched her go.

He wouldn't forget, nothing on earth would make him forget for the second time. But it would probably be awhile before he could come for her. He didn't mention how difficult it would be to convince Yubaba.

And he didn't mention, that the reason that he told her not to look back was because it was forbidden. The only way for a human to leave the spirit world was for them to forget everything about their experiences in that world. If she looked back, Chihiro would have retained her memories, but at a price. She might never be allowed to leave, or she would leave but a part of her soul would have been left behind, causing her to slowly go insane. So as painful as it was to think of her forgetting their promise, and all that they had gone though, he knew he preferred it over the fate looking back would bring her.

It did not matter anyway. He would find her again and if she could not remember him, they he would simply make her love him again.

So as he watched his love leave him, he made another promise to someday definitely comeback for her, and to do it as quickly as possible. He didn't notice the kanji on his hand glowing slightly before disappearing.

The kanji for Eternal.

* * *

**WOW! DONE!**

**I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, IT'S A LITTLE MUSHY BUT IT'S ESSESARY. THE WHOLE STORY IS BASED ON THIS PART. PLEASE DONT FLAME ME AND PLEASE REVEIW.**


	2. Chapter 2

**WOW IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I WROTE. BUT THE NEXT CHAPTER IS FINALLY HERE AND MAY I SAY 'HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010!!' PLEASE READ AND REVEIW AND FOR THE RECORD, I DONT OWN SPIRITED AWAY.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Nine years had passed since that day, that day when Haku had to say goodbye to his love. Nine long years. Kohaku left Yubaba's influence and servitude almost seven years ago from today, Yubaba had most definitely not been pleased to loose not only her human hostage but also her best worker, him. But he had done his best and soon he was free. Free with his name.

The very first thing he had done was to find his river, as Chihiro had said; it was covered almost entirely in concrete and apartments. But his presence there had woken up the surrounding area. The river had been so glad to receive its spirit once again. A river without its spirit is like a person without its soul. They become just an empty shell, and the river became plain water, with no soul. But it came back to life the second he touched down on its grassy banks,

Kohaku had wanted more than anything to find her, Chihiro. But she had gone through so much to give him back his name that he wanted to show her the river at its peak. Also, he'd been waiting so many years to return here, always longing for it but never knowing why, that it became almost an instinct to return here. Kohaku didn't question his love for Chihiro; it was still as strong as ever. In fact, he felt like he loved her even more than before.

Almost every night he dreamed of her, of holding her in his arms and being with her, he wanted to see her so badly. To see her soft brown eyes and chestnut hair that reminded him of autumn. Her face, he wanted to laugh at her innocence and feel her devotion, devotion he had not thought he could ever receive. While in the bath house he hadn't really been able to simply be with her. Back then it had been too dangerous to reveal his feelings, since Yubaba kept such a close eye on her. But their feelings had grown and grown despite it all and the result was their confession that night so many years ago. He loved her then just as he loves her now and he had loved her when he left. He could only hope that she would forgive him for making her wait, even for a little longer.

Well...he hadn't known.

The river upon arriving that day had sprung back to life, and in doing so, suddenly, the air became moist and all the apartments grew moss in all the walls. The rooms became cold and drafty and eventually, three months later, the public health department closed down the apartments and the mayor of the town for publicity's sake rebuilt the river and restored the area to normal.

Everything was on track, Haku continued to give his strength to the river until the day where he was able to come and go as he pleased without the river loosing energy. At that moment, he went to search for Chihiro.

But he couldn't find her!

He looked everywhere he could think of, for four years he kept on looking for her. He searched the towns around his river, but when she wasn't there it occurred that she may have moved to a town by the spirit gate. He looked there, and a native told him of a house that had been inhabited by a family with a little ten year old girl. When he reached the house, Chihiro's last name was definitely on the door. But she wasn't in there! A neighbour told him that she and her family had moved away again!

Day after day he searched again and again to no avail. For so many long years. Every time he arrived to a new place to realize she wasn't there, his heart fell even more. Until one day, he just couldn't take the disappointment. His heart had wanted to continue, heck his _soul_ had wanted to go on looking for her, as long as it took, till she was in his arms again. But he just couldn't do it. So he lived for his river, he stayed by it closely and every now and again he visited the bath house.

His heart broke that day, it continued to break everyday and he became a person who looked cheerful on the outside but inside was nothing more but a hollow shell, never at peace. But he never forgot her. And all the time even after he had chosen to give up, he never felt love for anyone other than her. He still loved her, after so long.

Some other spirits may ridicule him for being so in love with a simple human, but he didn't care. He loved her, and he already knew a long time ago that he would love no other. Also, deeply in his heart, he knew that someday they would meet again. One day, he would find her. Or perhaps, in some strange way, she'd find him again.

* * *

(Nine years after the day Chihiro said goodbye to Kohaku)

It was such a hot day, the sun belt down onto the roads, burning up the pavements, making it almost impossible for anyone to actually go anywhere. Animals were sitting where they were unmoving. Birds weren't singing and ALL people were either at home or at the mall with its AC.

So who would actually go outside in this heat? A small child ambles along the road in a straight line. Her shoulders squared and her face neutral against the blazing sun. Her shoes were broken through and had the strangest marks along the edges, as if the seams had been sniped away by scissors. Her socks were devastated too, giant holes missing, too big and too precise to be an accident.

She held both items of footwear in her tiny hands as she walked home from school, barefoot. Even though the heated pavement was burning the soles of her feet painfully, not a wince crossed her little face. Her hair was tied up in a barrette, as part of the school uniform. Her high-school miniskirt and white school skirt also part of the uniform, her blazer in her little brown shoulder bag. She walked without a faltering step.

She looked to be about five, a small child, in a high-school uniform, walking home barefoot, with burned feet, was five years old. She didn't notice anything around her, only the next step as she kept walking steadily.

Suddenly she entered a bushel of trees; the cool shade was like water in the middle of a desert for her as she stood there for a moment, just taking in the wonderful comfort. Suddenly she froze '_water?'_ she thought, the sound of trickling water, far off...no, not far off, close by! And water meant relief for her poor feet. The girl knew her mother wouldn't mind if she were a little late, but she would be worried about her feet later. At least this way they wouldn't be as bad as they would have been with water.

She the girl began toward the sound of water. Most normal humans wouldn't be able to hear something as quiet as the trickling of water of a smooth river. But the girl possessed and remarkable almost animal-like sense of hearing, she could even hear a pen drop nine houses down and also she could always tell when it was going to rain and such if she so wished to. And now she was using her amazing hearing to locate the river.

A few minutes later, there it was. This huge, glorious river. Oh the sound of trickling water, how it calmed her. She'd always loved being near rivers, all her life she had loved this. She felt her happiest when by the river, especially the ones in the thick woodlands, like her namesake.

She approached it, the waves were soft and the water looked so inviting she just wanted to plunge in, but she had promised her mother not to get her uniform dirty. So she placed her shoes and socks down by a tree and took a step towards the river.

Suddenly a voice called out from behind her, it was cold, steady and devoid of too much emotion. "What are you doing here" she turned, and her eyes met a pair of eyes. The girl possessed the most remarkable set of green eyes, green as the forests, and the same green as the stranger.

He had longish, dead straight hair brown hair that in this light looked midnight black, it reached just beyond his shoulders. His face was stern and held wisdom and youth, in fact, he looked just about her mother's age. He wore strange cloths, a little like the people in her school history textbook wore. A white haori and a blue Hakama, the undershirt was blue also, and it faintly reminded her of clothes worn in a bathhouse.

The man's face was so handsome, and so familiar. The girl was a suspicious person a lot of the time; well she had to be to survive. But for some reason, the sight of this person filled her with warmth and happiness. She felt like she could trust him. She smiled. He looked down at her burned red and blistered feet "your feet" he said "what happened to them"

The little five year old child smiled sweetly and answered clearly and maturely "My school is very far away, but I like to walk to and from there. But my shoes and socks broke on the way and so I ended up having to walk here barefoot" the man looked surprised for one moment, most everyone did. It wasn't everyday that a five year old speak so maturely, like a teenager or adult almost. But unlike everyone else, his surprise disappeared in a wink as he said "It is warm out today, and you walked on the stone path with your feet, and burned them?"

The girl nodded "Hai"

"And now you wish to sooth them in the river, that is all?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her feet. She didn't take her eyes of him, although she was sure that her feet looked very burned and disgusting "Hai" she answered.

He looked up at her again with those wonderful green eyes; the eyes that made her feel so calm. He watched her face for any signs of deception, there was none. And even if she were deceiving him, he wouldn't be able to tell, the girl was a master at hiding her expressions behind a smile. Eventually he nodded to the river "Be careful, don't fall in"

She nodded back to him "I know, thank-you, I won't" she said as she sat down by the river's edge. Slowly, slowly she began to ease her foot into the icy cold water. It hurt too much to do it slowly, so instead the girl took in a deep breath and plunged both feet into the water. The coolness against her fiery feet was more painful then anything, they stung like she were walking on hot coals or needles. But very soon as she painfully wiggled her toes, the water became more bearable and in a few more minutes, she allowed herself to sigh from the relief as the cool water soothed her pained feet. "That feels so nice" she murmured.

"Are you feet feeling any better" the man said bending over slightly to get a better look. If he were any other person, then the girl would most likely have jumped or at least shirked. But for some reason, having him near to her felt totally natural. "No not yet, but the pain is residing. Thank-you for asking" she smiled.

She dipped her feet in and sighed as the current caressed her feet like a blanket of silk. Then she opened her eyes when she felt like someone was watching her. The man was, his intense green eyes hadn't left her form.

"Nani" she asks.

"Oh, nothing" he says

She sighed again "kyaaa, my feet felt like they were going t burn off, they feel so much better" he raised his eyebrow in question "you looked so calm?"

She smiled "I've found that screaming and crying about something gets a person nowhere. Remaining calm usually bears you a solution" he nodded, a faint trace of a smile on his handsome features "a wise deduction for one so young"

She nodded and turned her head from his. Neither he nor she was aware of the sad look in her eyes "I know" she said "people tell me that all the time." She sat in silence for a while. At first he did not say anything but then suddenly he approached the river beside her and sat down. They sat there, not saying anything, but enjoying the others company. The girl felt so peaceful, the only time she ever felt this calm was when she was in her mother's arms. Suddenly she raised her head "Ne" she said with a small smile "what's your name?"

The man looked down at her with a strange expression, like he was carefully choosing his answer before finally answering "Haku" Haku? The girl had a feeling that it was not his real name, but he was sparing her of the truth for some reason. That reason was none of her business so she did not say anything about it.

"And you?" he asks "your name?" should she tell him of her name? She had only just met this man; her mother had always said to never tell strangers her name. But this man did not seem like a stranger, he didn't _feel_ like a stranger. So she answered "Morigawa" he smiles "Morigawa? That is quite a long name isn't it?" she smiled back at him "yes it is, but I like it. If it's too long for you, then you can call me Mori-chan"

"Morigawa" he repeated "it means 'Forest rivers' right?" she nodded "that's right. My mommy names me this because she says my eyes remind her of a lush forest. And because she loves rivers"

"Rivers?" he asked.

She nods again "yes, my mother loves rivers. She says they bring back both fond and painful memories. When I was little she used to tell me stories of river spirits and other things" he looked curious "stories? What kind?" she tapped her lips with her little finger and said cutely "secret"

Morigawa liked his man; she liked the way he talked to her. Because she was so smart, when ever people talked to her they would either use such big words that she didn't yet understand and would then look at her disappointedly.

Or they would use baby words because they still didn't believe she could be so smart and mature. But this man was different, he didn't look at her like she was one of the world's wonders, he looked at her like she was a normal person. He spoke to her normally. This was all she had ever wanted.

* * *

Kohaku looked down at the strange girl. She was dressed in what looked like a human high-school uniform, but she looked nothing more the five. She spoke with such pronunciation and words beyond her age, like she was an adult. Her form and expression was that of a young woman rather than a child. He watched her; even her movements were graceful and calm. Not bubbly and hyper like any normal five year old.

The traditional skirt and white shirt looked to have been taken from a smaller uniform and the blazer hanging on her bag looked a little too big for her. The only thing that seemed to fit her was the little barrette hat on her head, but it only seemed that way because she had swept all her hair up into it and hidden it out of sight to keep the sun from plastering it to her neck with sweat. Coloured green it matched her amazingly bright green eyes and complimented her ivory white skin.

Kohaku didn't know why he had felt compelled to sit beside the girl, or why the sight of her dishevelled feet made him uneasy when he had seen worse wounds before. Also, there was soothing ease. Ever since Chihiro left his side, he'd always felt restless and uneasy and sad. He found it difficult to sleep because his dreams were so filled with her and it had all gotten worse ever since he had discovered his inability to find her once again.

But now, for some reason this child's very presence...calmed him. He felt calmer and more peaceful then he had ever felt in a long time. She smiled and he felt happy, he hadn't felt this tranquil since he had first met Chihiro. As the river trickled down with a soft noise, he felt at peace. What was it about this child that made it different? Her name, Morigawa. Why had he felt happy at the thought of her name?

She kicked gently in the water with a happy smile. She looked so innocent, so sweet, so childlike. He couldn't believe that someone likr her could speak so intelligently. But then again, it was none of his business.

Then she stood and brushed herself off "ok then Haku-san" she said "I guess I'll be going now. Okaa-chan will be worried about me" Kohaku nodded as she looked down "Ano...perhaps...maybe..." she looked up "I can maybe come back here again and see you?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes. He usually hated people coming here, humans in this time and area had no respect for nature. He didn't want them ruining his river again, the only reason they left it alone was because of a rumour that it was haunted. One person had seen him in his dragon form and suddenly everyone was too afraid to approach. But she wasn't, and he didn't sense any ill will from her.

"Yes" he said with a smile "and will you be here if I come?" she asked "if you come, and I am here, I will show myself. If I'm not here then I won't" he answered simply. She grinned "ok, sayonara Haku-san" and then she turned and left, shoes in hand and once again barefoot. She left behind a peace, a quiet he hadn't felt in a long time. She was truly an interesting child.

* * *

"I'm home!" Morigawa cried out as she entered through the door to the house. Because her mother was still only nineteen and she was still in school, they both lived with her mother's parents. Morigawa liked her Obaa-san, but she didn't really care for her Ojii-san. He always treated her like an idiot; he didn't like her one bit for being the child that had almost ruined her mother's life.

But Morigawa didn't care about them, nor did she care about all the bullies at school who hated her. As long as her mother still loved her, it didn't matter. As long as her mother loved her, she didn't have to worry.

"Mori-chan?" a voice called out from within the house. Morigawa's hear soared, mama was home today! "Okaa-chan!" she squealed, all traces of the mature five year old was gone and replaced with the little girl she was, a little girl who only her mother could see. Since she would only become this for her mother.

"Okaa-chan!" she called as she ran through the house. "I'm here" a woman called as she stepped out of a room. She smiled at her beautiful daughter, but taking one look at the child's feet, her smile became a gasp of horror "Mori-chan, your feet!" Morigawa looked down and wiggled her toes. It was still painful, but most of the original pain had subsided from soaking it in the river. "My shoes broke" she said, she didn't want her mother to worry "like heck they broke" she cried as she took her child's hand and led her to the sofa. She stood to take the first aid kit from the cupboard.

She took out from the kit some bandages and a special cream to help with the burns and began to cream the girl's feet. "I hate you going to that school, but they won't let you into a normal school. They say you're too smart for it. So a high school is something we have to bear with" she looked up "but you should still be thankful, you're really blessed to be so smart, I wish I was as smart as you. Then I could finish school quick too and be home more often with you" she began to put the bandages on. Morigawa smiled, she really loved her mama. She leaned forward and hugged her, burying her face in her mama's long shoulder length hair, her mother really did smell nice. "Its ok mama, I understand" the woman smiled. As she pulled back and continued to bandage her feet "I know you understand" she sniped off the remaining bandage and put them away.

"Hey, take off your hat, your hair is probably covered in sweat" she said as she pulled away at the barrette. Little ringlets of chocolate brown hair began to fall and bunch around the girl's shoulders. The same chocolate hue as her mother.

Then the door slammed, Obaa-san was home. She called out for the woman "Chihiro, Chihiro where are you?" the woman stood and replied "I'm here, I'm here"

* * *

I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME BUT HERE'S THE NEWEST CHAPTER, I HOPE YOU LIKE IT its ANERYEAR PRESENT FOR 2010.

IM PLANNING FOR HAKU AND CHIHIRO TO BE REUNITED IN EITHRT CHAPTER SIX, FIVE OR SEVEN. ONE OF THE THREE. AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY COOL SUPRISES PLANNED OUT FOR THIS. SO PLEASE REVEIW, MORE THEN TWO REVEIWS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, IT WOULD BE NICE IF I COULD HAVE LIKE THREE OR FOUR OR MABEY EVEN FIVE. WHO KNOWS? ILL HAVE TO SEE WHEN THEY COME IN, SO PLEASE REVEIW IF YOUR READ THIS, JUST GIVE ME YOUR OPINION.

SO READ AND REVEIW PLEASE!


	3. Chapter 3

**HELLO EVERYBODY, IM SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON MY OTHER STORY 'THE PARENT TRAP'**

**BUT HERE'S A NEW CHAPTER, ENJOY**

**CHAPTER THREE**

Chihiro bit down on her pencil as she stared at the lap-top screen. She was a nineteen year old student in the local collage studying folklore and myths. Who knew it involved so much writing and geography. Chihiro loved myths and legends; however she was exceptionally poor at geography. It just didn't interest her, who cared what the exact co-ordinates of Jamaica were; it wasn't as if she was planning on going to Jamaica anyway. Japan was fine.

Chihiro sighed and messaged her temples. She was doing a paper on the Yamata no Orochi, an eight headed, eight tailed dragon that was slain by the Shinto storm god whose name she still couldn't spell.

Chihiro had dropped out of school when she was fifteen and pregnant. She had only started going back to classes when she was sixteen, so she had been held back only a few years. She was in her final year of college, next year she could go to university and perhaps still get a job in a museum. So things were difficult at the moment.

"Mama?"

Chihiro turned at her name to see a little girl, about five years old, dressed in pink P.J's with her long chocolate hair flowing down her back in surprisingly neat ringlets, her big green eyes blinking "Mama, are you Okay?"

Chihiro smiled "oh, Mori-chan, yes I'm ok" but then Chihiro frowned "Morigawa it's one in the morning, why are you awake?"

The child Morigawa blinked, and Chihiro noticed she was holding two mugs of something steaming in her hands "I couldn't sleep, I had a bad dream. So I decided to make some hot chocolate, and I saw Mama's light was still on, so I thought maybe you would like some too" she explained so clearly.

There were times when Chihiro would still be so astounded by how intelligent her daughter really was. She could read, write...heck, she was in middle school at five! Sometimes Chihiro would look at her and think 'did that _really _come out of _me!'_ her mother felt the same way.

"Yeah Mori-chan, I think some hot-chocolate would be great" she said as she stood and took the mug from her hands. Morigawa was so cold, her fingers like ice. She was anaemic, so she was usually cold, but sometimes Chihiro felt worried. It shouldn't be possible for a child to be so cold all the time, yet the doctors had said it was perfectly normal.

Chihiro sighed "come-on Mori, let's go back to your room. We'll see if we can get you to sleep. The little girl nodded and grabbed her mother's hand as the two pattered down the hallway to the room on the end. Morigawa's room was green, like her eyes. Chihiro remembered how disgusted her mother had been when she saw her granddaughter's choice in room colouring and had ordered Chihiro to make Morigawa change it. The house was white and cream, just like all the houses in the town. Chihiro had only replied calmly that Morigawa was _her_ daughter not her mothers, and it wasn't as if they were going to let anyone into her room, so why couldn't her five year old little girl have green walls?

Morigawa set the mug of hot-chocolate on the side table and climbed into bed where she reclaimed the chocolate. Chihiro pulled up a chair beside the bed and sighed as the both took a deep drink of their chocolate stimulatingly. "Ahhhh" they said together, then giggled.

It was funny, when Chihiro thought about it. Nine years ago, she would never have thought she would ever end up this way. A nineteen year old teenage mum, struggling to get by school while raising her little daughter. Chihiro was only lucky that her mother had sworn to never abandon her child or she would be in real trouble and without a home, especially since her father was still angry with her. It hadn't been Chihiro's fault; she didn't ask to get pregnant! But as she looked at her little baby in bed, sipping delicately at her mug, Chihiro smiled. She would not have it any other way. Those old ladies in the park could mumble and gossip and shake their heads all they wanted, but Chihiro was so happy that she had Morigawa, no matter the circumstances of the father.

Despite her circumstances Chihiro was a responsible mother. She didn't smoke, drink or take drugs. She worked part time, studied regularly ad did her best to make time for her child. She was determined to prove the stereotype teenage mom wrong, that she could do it.

"Mama?" Chihiro snapped to attention a Mori's voice "you looked dazed, what's the matter?" Chihiro sighed "just sleepy baby, I have so much homework, sometimes I think that teacher hates me" she finished her drink and stretched "it's so late, don't you have school tomorrow?"

Morigawa nodded "yeah, but I wanna stay with you" she looked down sadly "But I don't want to be a bother, so if you are busy, it doesn't matter" she said. Chihiro panicked as she cried "No, no, it's ok. Sure I'm busy, but it can wait" the truth was her paper was due in tomorrow, but Chihiro could always do it on the train and in break, it wasn't due till the end of the day. She really hated when Morigawa was sad. But when the little girl's face lit up with delight, Chihiro felt her hear grow warm with pride. Did all mothers feel like their children were the most beautiful in the world? Chihiro felt like she could deal with a hundred angry professors if only to see that happy expression on Mori's face.

"Mama, will you tell me a story?"

Chihiro smiled "sure, finish your drink first though" the little girl complied as she gulped down her drink at an alarming speed and snuggled down into bed. Chihiro lent back in her chair and thought of old memories. "Once, long ago, there was a little girl and her parents. The girl was moving house, and was very sad. But as they arrived to her new home, the daddy decided to take a short-cut." Most children would usually ask a question by now, but Morigawa wasn't most children and was sitting quietly and expectantly as she waited patiently for her mother to continue.

"They came to a tunnel. The mommy and daddy decided to check it out, but the little girl was afraid. But as her mommy and daddy walked away, the little girl followed. They came out on the other end, and there was a huge meadow. The daddy said 'it may be an abandoned theme park' and they went for a closer look. They kept going until they reached a little town. The family walked until they started to get a little hungry. Then they saw some food that had been set out and the foolish parents began to eat and eat, even though the little girl told them not to"

"That's so foolish" Morigawa finial piped "why would you eat food that's just sitting there, it could be for someone else, or perhaps poisoned. And the little girl knew, they should have listened to their child"

Chihiro nodded "I know. Anyway, the little girl wondered off until she came across an old bathhouse. There was a bridge with train tracks underneath. As the little girl leaned over she heard something. She turned and do you know what?"

Morigawa shook her head, eyes wide.

"There was a boy standing behind her. A boy about her age, with dark hair and deep green eyes. He told her to go and the little girl ran. But as she reached the place she had left her parents. She noticed something. Her parents had turned into pigs!"

Chihiro looked up and smiled; Morigawa had already despite herself fallen asleep. Chihiro sighed and stood to tuck her in. She gently kissed her forehead and left while turning out the light.

But on her way back to her own room to work, Chihiro stopped in her tracks as she sighed. Perhaps telling that story had not been the best of ideas. It brought back too many memories. Too many sad memories. Chihiro looked out the hall window at the moon as she whispered "Haku, why didn't you ever come?"

* * *

(The next day (afternoon))

Morigawa rubbed her eyes. Perhaps it had not been a good idea to stay up so late, but her dream had been really scary, and she had wanted Mama. Luckily Mama told her the story, and then Morigawa had pleasant dreams after that. Mama was really something.

"Ogino-san, Ogino-san" Morigawa stood up "H-Hai!" the teacher was looking at her with the chalk still in hand "can you translate the second sonnet of the English play we've been reading." Mori looked down, it was William Shakespeare 'Romeo and Juliet' she had already read this play before last summer in the library. But the older kids were already looking at her smugly, Mori didn't want to attract any more attention from pointing out that fact.

So instead she just read clearly _"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudges break mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life."_

Morigawa sighed and looked up into the teacher's delighted face "Well done Ogino-san, that was perfect. Only expected of the genius of the school" and to the rest of the class he said sternly "The rest of you, take note of Ogino-san's pronunciation and fluency. She's obviously been practicing and doing all the homework, as you all should be doing. You shouldn't let a five year old little girl show up all you teenagers" he said with a disappointed shake of the head "now, you there" he pointed to a red head "Tsukishima-san" the red haired boy stood "Hai"

"Read the rest of the sonnet"

The boy tried, but he ended up getting so many of the words wrong that the teacher shook his head "Really, a little girl can read it so beautifully yet one of my top class student's can't?" and with that he turned to the board. The boy sat down and glared at Morigawa.

She blinked.

Oh no, did she do something wrong again?

Everyone was looking at her so scary again, and she had even kept quiet about the library. Morigawa turned her head away from the class's glares.

Truth was, she really liked this school. The things they taught were really interesting. She loved math and English and science and history and all sorts of things. She liked the exams because it gave her a challenge, and Mori loved challenges. It always felt good to see her name #1 when the exam results came out. But everyone else didn't think so.

Morigawa just did not know what to do. If she acted dumb and didn't apply herself properly then the other kids laughed at her scornfully, but they weren't mean. However her Mama would be sad. But when she worked hard and did well, the other kids were so mean and hated her. In the end, it was between the others and her Mama, and every time her Mama won hands down.

But...it was still hard.

The lunch bell went and everyone pooled out of the classroom. Because Morigawa was five, her desk was much taller than her and it took longer for her to climb in and out of her seat every class. Once she was on the ground she grabbed her backpack and packed away her books. While all the other kids had just rushed out at the bell, Morigawa turned and bowed respectively to the teacher "Sensei Sayonara" and looked up with a bright smile "Arigatou"

She bounded out the classroom for lunch, leaving a startled teacher shaking his head with a smile "that girl..."

* * *

Lunch was always a problem for Morigawa. Because since nether her mother or her grandparents had the time to make her an Obento-box everyday, sometimes she would have to eat from the cafeteria. Mori could have made it herself, but her mother didn't like the idea of her using the fire or the kitchen knives, so she made do with that she had.

She strolled into the great hall, trying not to get stepped on or pushed too violently by either accident or on purpose by some classmate. Once in the cafeteria, Morigawa instantly made her way to the salad bar while everyone else lined up for hamburgers.

Sometimes Mori felt like she preferred not having lunch to being surrounded in the cafeteria. Morigawa had a _very_ strong sense of smell. And all the human stinking smells of sweaty gym socks, overly-used perfume, spot cream, boys that did not know the meaning of the word 'bath' and among other things, combined with the greasy smells of the bacon, burgers and meats, with the smell of the kitchen cleaners the lunch ladies used, it was a cornucopia of horrible smells. Mori couldn't stand it!

She sometimes felt so sickly she felt like she was going to throw-up. Mori hated these crowded smelly places. She preferred being outside with the wind and the trees and the sky and only natural smells around her. And the teenagers, they were so **LOUD. **If her sense of smell was strong, it matched perfectly with her hearing. Why were there so many students in a Middle school? And why did they speak so loud? And most importantly..._why did they all insist at speaking so loudly at the same time!_

It was so painful, lunch always gave Morigawa a headache. This was why she loved to eat outside. Because it was so hot, people preferred to be inside where there's air-conditioning. But when you sat in the branches of a tree, even the slightest gust of wind causes the tree to sway. Then you have about a dozen leaves acting as little fans all fanning at once. So refreshing and calming.

But that wasn't the only reason why Morigawa hated lunch in the cafeteria.

As she piled a healthy helping of salad she sighed. There were some vegetables Morigawa hated like broccoli and cabbage. But she hated the taste of animal skin and flesh more. How anyone could eat a dead body was disgusting to her. Both Morigawa and her mom were avid vegetarians. Especially pork, mama said that since a long time ago, Pigs just never seemed to the same to her.

It sometimes made family dinner very difficult since bother her grandfather and grandmother both loved their meat. And grandfather would always make her mother sad as he shouted at her to eat 'like a regular person instead of all this rabbit food!'

Morigawa piled an extra helping of celery. She may hate cabbage rolls, but she loved celery, and cucumber, and sweet corn...with the occasional carrot. She grinned to herself, but was interrupted with the cruel cry of "Hey Ogino-san!"

Morigawa turned at the feminine voice. It was Mei Kajimatsu, the most powerful girl in the school. Her father was the chairman, so she basically was allowed to get away with anything she wanted. And one of the things she wanted to do the most was to tease the youngest member of the school mercilessly.

She marched up, her long black hair out and flowing, her equally black eyes twinkling with unkind humour as her two subordinates came up behind her. "Well if it isn't the little genius of the school" she sneered.

Morigawa didn't care for bullying; she didn't care about it at all. Being the bastard child of a teenage mother meant Morigawa had gone through a lot of teasing, insults and bullying. So she was used to it, and in Morigawa's perspective, there was no reason to become upset about any cruel words against who she was, because she knew half of them weren't true. And as for comments about her heritage, Morigawa was proud to be who she was, and proud to be her mother's child.

So she only nodded to them and grabbed her bowl of salad and turned to pass her, but Mei seemed to have other planes. "Hey"" she cried angrily as she grabbed Mori's shoulder. Mori winced as her manicured nails dug into her shoulder. This was bad, because unlike most middle schools, Morigawa happened to be in one that wasn't above hurting or beating up five year old girls. But they didn't know that Morigawa had the ability to surpass anything they could ever do to her. This was why she had to be careful.

"No matter how smart you are, you're still some useless, shameless bastard" she sneered.

Morigawa wanted to slap her hand off and retaliate, but she couldn't. She wasn't allowed. Just because Morigawa was sensible enough to not allow their rude comments to irritate her, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt any less.

But she had made a solid promise to her Mama, one that Morigawa would not break if she could help it.

So instead with one hand, Mori pried Mei's hand off her shoulder and bowed respectfully before leaving without a word.

Mori felt a burning feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Loss of pride.

But in the end, her mother was more important.

Mori left the cafeteria before anything else could happen.

* * *

School ended and Morigawa rushed out the classroom. Her humiliation and anger was still built up inside of her. She wanted to lash out and make them pay, but revenge wasn't the answer, that was what her mother always said. Even so, it didn't make her anger any less troubling.

She stomped down her usual road, oblivious to her surroundings she really didn't know entirely where she was going, like always she followed her instincts. That was another thing about Morigawa that was different.

Suddenly, the smell around her became different. From a stale concrete smell to a wonderful leafy scent, the smell of the forest and the river. She looked up, and to her utter amazement, she found herself in the forest she was in two days ago. And not too far from the river. Somehow she had subconsciously migrated towards this place. But why?

The sound of trickling water soothed her rough emotions so much. She began to feel calmer; usually it always took hours practicing the violin for her to feel this calm this quick. Violin was one of the small pleasures that Morigawa enjoyed, the feeling of the bow sliding along the strings as beautiful music came out. The high, sharp sounds, the low, soulful tones; Morigawa loved it.

Morigawa began to smell the river, the clean scent of earth, water and air. She still remembered it. Why did the very thought of rivers make her so calm and happy? Mori didn't know, but she didn't entirely care either.

Suddenly, there it was. Trickling gently it gleamed turquoise in the sunlight. Morigawa briefly wondered if the man she had seen from that time would be here also. He had promised that they would see each other again.

Morigawa smiled as she closed her eyes and listened to the natural sounds of the world around her, it was such a wonderful feeling. The gentle rustling of summer leaves, the chattering of squirrels and the twirping of birds. The rippling of the water and the sound of the wind. All of it together made for a magical symphony.

She lay back on the grass like a starfish with her eyes closed, content to fall asleep. This was wonderful, she felt so calm, like nothing else mattered. Morigawa always felt more herself when surrounded by nature, but for some reason she felt even more calm than usual here. Like tranquil, at peace, nirvana, all of the above put together.

She sometimes wished there was at least one person in the world who could understand this same feeling, but alas. There was no one, not even her mother.

Morigawa was not stupid, she was anything but stupid. And she knew that she was not normal, she knew she was different. How many other five year olds could complete math equations meant for fifteen year olds, how many five year olds wanted to b sick every time they smelt the smell if greasy flesh, how many five year olds could almost swear hear could hear the voices of trees and animals and not be lying or crazy?

None.

Because it wasn't possible.

So why was Morigawa able to do it?

She sighed and clenched her fist in the grass, being careful not to pull out any strand. It wasn't that she was unhappy with being different, it was just...lonely. Lonely because there was no one who could understand her. Morigawa didn't know her father, he and her mother had been what her grandmother called 'a-one-night-stand'.

"Enjoying yourself?"

At the sudden sound of the familiar, deep baritone voice from above her Morigawa's eyes shot opened as she hastily sat up to look behind her.

There he was, in his robes like a bathhouse uniform, his shoulder length black hair and bright green eyes like the forest itself. "Haku-san!" she cried with pleasure, a smile spread out on her childish face instantly. Morigawa didn't understand why she was so happy to see him, but for some reason she was. Her heart sped up and she felt a feeling of excitement, like last time.

* * *

Kohaku had just returned from the spirit world. Sometime last year Yubaba had decided she wanted to use some of the riches she had collected to enjoy herself around the spirit world, so she left the bathhouse to Kohaku in hopes of getting him to stay there. Even though Yubaba knew how much he hated it. But Kohaku had, back then, thought that when he came for Chihiro that she would need somewhere to stay since she couldn't live as his river being human, so he inherited the bathhouse, only to find himself unable to locate Chihiro. The old Witch probably knew his love was missing, that was whys he had looked so smug when handing him ownership.

He occasionally had to return to the bathhouse to see how it was doing. Really he should be there most all the time, but the memories were just too painful for Kohaku. His heart just...couldn't do it.

He had returned to his river, when his keen sense of smell picked up the sudden scent of lavender and salts caught him. By all means, the small of lavender and salt should feel unfamiliar and alien in the middle of a forest, but for some reason it wasn't. He knew this smell, this wonderfully calming smell that made both want to sigh and contentment and smile from his chest pounding, what was this feeling?

He soon came to find that the smell was coming from the little child lying on her back in the grass. He recognised her instantly; it was the girl from before. Morigawa?

He found himself smiling, a thing he had not done freely in a long time as he said softly "Enjoying yourself?"

The girls eyes opened and she sat up all in one jerky movement. She turned to him and Kohaku watched as those amazingly green eyes lit up and a bright smile spread over her face as she cried out gleefully "Haku-san!"

For some reason, seeing this child's smile made his happy. Haku had almost forgotten that feeling, how strange. "You came back" he said softly.

Morigawa stood and nodded happily "Hai!" then she frowned "Unless me being here is bothering you...?"

He shook his head "No, it's fine."

To this her smile retuned and she sat back on the grass "I'm glad." She said "I really like this place, It's so peaceful, untouched. I didn't know a place like this even existed.

"This is what nature looks like when humans leave it untouched." Kohaku growled, remembering how defiled his river had become in his absence.

The girl nodded "I completely agree, why humans can't just leave some things alone, must progress take over everything?"

Kohaku smirked "you speak as if you were not human."

With her eyes still closed, Morigawa also smirked "so do you."

Kohaku shook his head "but how do you that I am human?"

A moment of silence before she shrugged "Point taken."

Kohaku smiled. He liked this child.

He settled himself beside her on the grass as the two enjoyed a companionable silence and listened to the sound of trickling water from his river. Kohaku had always liked small children, human children that were too young to know what a true bad deed was, children like how his darling Chihiro had been like. But for some reason, this chid was different.

He liked her, but it seemed almost...more than that.

Kohaku shook his head and blasted away the thought, there was no difference, this was just another child.

But then why was he finding it so hard to convince himself of this?

Morigawa sighed as she opened her eyes, "I wish more of Japan was like this, beautiful and green. The smell of the city is so nauseating."

"The smell of the city?" he asked.

She nodded "smoke, dirt, sickness, poverty, meat, death, and pollution...so many things that make me want to pass out its so suffocating. Then I come to a place like this where the air is clean and the atmosphere is peaceful and it feels like I'm in another world." Then she blushed "sorry, you probably think I sound stupid."

Kohaku didn't think that. In fact, he thought it was a rather interesting way of thinking. He himself was from the spirit world so there wasn't as much pollution and smoke as there was in the human world. But he thought of the bathhouse. Of the constant smells of soaps, salts, food and dirty bath water. He never really noticed it, but now that he was away from all of that, it really did in a way seem like another world. Kohaku smiled "No, I don't think it stupid, it's a very good way of thinking. We all need a place where we can truly feel at peace."

"Is this your place?" she asked.

Kohaku nodded "In a way, yes. But as long as you have respect for it, I don't mind sharing it with you."

* * *

Morigawa was sure now.

She liked this person; he was so quickly becoming one of the people she actually liked a lot. Ranking right beneath her mother, which was a big thing since Morigawa thought the world of her mother.

But this Haku person, he was so different. He spoke to her as if she were adult; he had kindness in his eyes instead of the shock and scorn she was used to. He understood her without even trying and despite herself Morigawa felt so close to him. As if she had known his her whole life.

After their breaking the ice conversation, Morigawa found herself slipping into a comfortable conversation with him. They joked, they laughed, they discussed and they simply talked. Morigawa loved this feeling; she had not ever had the chance to talk to someone like this. Not even her mother ever spoke with her like this.

Something about this man made Morigawa feel like both a young woman and the small child she really was.

Kohaku was not only engaging, he was intelligent. He brought up points that Morigawa never once thought off and opened her to a new sense of ideology. But all too soon, Morigawa noticed that it was beginning to get dark. She frowned, not wanting to leave. But she knew her mother would be worried if she stayed out too long.

So with a drawn out sigh she looked up into his green eyes "Haku-san, I have to go now or my mother will miss me."

Kohaku frowned at the strange sense of disappointment he felt in his chest. He had been enjoying talking with this child, it had been one of the best conversations he had had in a long time.

He had assumed about the intelligence the small child before him had held from the last time he saw her. But he had not expected this. Her intelligence went beyond what he could have ever expected, such an engaging, polite and respectful child. Her father and mother must be proud. She was a good girl; his Chihiro would have loved her.

"I see" he said with a smile "then you should go. It was a pleasure speaking with you."

"Then..." she paused, then smiled at him, almost shyly "can I come back?"

Kohaku nodded "of course, as long as you have respect for this place."

"And..." she paused again "will you...will you be my friend?" she asked "I don't have many friends, can we be friends?"

To say Kohaku wasn't surprised by this strange request would be a lie. But as he looked into those wide, hopeful, bashful eyes, Kohaku remembered the fact that even though she was incredibly intelligent and able, she was still a small child. So he nodded again and smiled "Yes Morigawa, I would very much like to be your friend."

Morigawa beamed.

Her first friend.

* * *

NEW CHAPTER FINISHED.

AGAIN, SORRY FOR BEING SO LONG.

PLEASE REVEIW


	4. Chapter 4

**I DONT OWN SPIRETED AWAY, I DO OWN A DVD OF THE MOVIE BUT THAT WAS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT SO I DONT THINK THAT COUNTS**

**READ AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKED IT**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Morigawa stared with wide open eyes at the bright red and lime green lollipops on the shop counter by the till in the supermarket while she waited for her mom to finish paying for the vegetable to be used in tonight's dinner.

Morigawa loved it when her mother cooked; she said that it was important for a girl to know how to cook since men will most likely think of it as beneath them. Morigawa didn't really understand what she meant by that but if it meant great tasting Wok in the end, then she nodded every time.

She really wanted to ask for a lollipop but she didn't want to sound selfish since her mom really didn't get much from her part time job and her grandmother never gave her spending money.

Chihiro dug through her purse to fine some spare change when she noticed Mori watching the lollipops. She smiled softly and handed over the money to the elderly woman who was serving them while shooting looks at Morigawa. She was one of those busybody types who knew of Chihiro's situation and didn't approve of it. A nineteen year old with a child.

Chihiro slapped the money down, earning a surprised yelp from the woman as she glared at her. But Chihiro only returned the glare with a pleasant smile "My change please?"

The woman handed over the change and Chihiro took Mori's hand and dragged her out of the shop.

How she hated how people would stare at her daughter, as if she were something beneath them. Honestly, she was just a child, no matter where she came from and people who treated her otherwise were cruel and temperamental. Chihiro didn't care what people thought of her, she had gotten over her insecurities long ago.

"Mama...that hurts" Mori said softly. Chihiro snapped back to attention and realised she was squeezing Morigawa's hand really tightly. "Oh, sorry Mori-chan."

Morigawa rubbed her hand and smiled up at her "That's fine Mama" and Chihiro's heart almost broke. How could people honestly hate Mori? She was such a darling, and ten times more behaved then other kids that age. Just a few minutes ago in the shop she had seen a little girl going through a horrible temper tantrum, throwing herself on the floor, screaming and embarrassing her poor mother as she cried for sweets. Coincidently, at that moment Morigawa asked if she could have some sweets and when she had replied no, Mori had only replied a soft "Ok." The look from that other mother, Chihiro had felt so proud.

"Hey Mori" she said with a smile.

Mori looked up "Hai?"

"I have some change from the shopping, because you were such a good girl in the shop, how about we go to the playground for a bit and get some ice-cream?"

Morigawa's eyes lit up ice-cream! That was even better than lollipops! "Hai!" she cried excitedly and hugged her mother's leg. She really loved her Kaa-san.

Chihiro led them to the park with Morigawa skipping/marching beside her and saying sweetly in a sing-song voice "_I-su-ku-ri-mu. I-su-ku-ri-mu. Go-ing to the par-ku to get I-su-ku-ri-mu" _

Mori was dressed in a yellow sundress with her chocolate brown hair in a low ponytail and a sun-yellow hat on her head rimmed with pink. She was wearing brown buckles shoed and looked adorable, or so Chihiro thought.

When they got to the park Mori rushed for the swings with a giggle. Chihiro laughed "Kay sweetie, you wait right there and I'll be right back, the ice-cream van's only around the corner. Don't talk to strangers, okay."

"Yes Mama."

"So one chocolate with a flake and rainbow sprinkles for you and one plain strawberry for me, right?"

"Right" Morigawa chirped.

"Kay, be back in a second. Don't talk to strangers." She reminded.

Morigawa nodded and began swinging. She had always been stronger than most people, so with her powerful legs she was in full swing in seconds and Chihiro nodded to herself before going to get their creamy treats.

Morigawa swung with a grin on her face. She loved the swings, it felt like flying. For some reason, Morigawa had always loved that feeling of flying, the feeling of air in your face as she ripped though the air. She always went on the really fast and scary roller-coasters when she went to the theme-park with her mother. People always looked at them weird because they would go on it at least nine times without getting sick. Mori loved feeling like she was flying; it brought wonderful feelings in her.

After about seven minutes Morigawa slowed to a halt, her mom was taking a long time. It didn't take this long to get ice-cream, did it?"

On a bench on the other side of the park, some women probably in their forties were watching their children on the jungle gym. One took a look t her on the swings and whispered something to her friend that made Mori flinch slightly. The woman didn't mean for her to hear, they didn't know o Morigawa's almost inhuman sense of hearing.

"_Who's that girl over there, does she have a mother?"_

"_You don't know?"_ her friend whispered back "_that's Ogino's daughter."_

"_Ogino? I thought her daughter was nineteen?"_

"_Not that Ogino, her daughter's daughter!"_

"_You mean she's the one who got herself in trouble at fourteen! I thought they got an abortion?"_

Morigawa flinched and stiffened, but the ladies didn't notice

"_Her father tried to force her; he even threatened to turn her out. Then the girl left the house, kept the baby and raised her on her own for a year. In the end the mother relented and begged her husband to let the girl come back home, with the child."_

"_How shameless, these kids these day's, no shame, I'll bet the father didn't stick around."_

"_I heard they don't even know who the father is."_

Mori shut her eyes to try to block out their words, but it didn't help.

"_They should have given up the child for adoption, such a smart girl too that Chihiro."_

"_Smart! She wasn't so smart when she get herself raped was she? Probably drunk too. What a slut!"_

That was the last straw. Morigawa stood from her swing with tears in her eyes and cried out to the startled ladies. "YOU BE QUET ABOUT MY MAMA!" she screamed before running off to the direction of her mom.

Behind her she could hear the ladies murmur _"Do you think she heard us?"_

"_Such an uncouth, rude child, shouting back to her betters. Like mother like child"_

Morigawa shook her head. She hated people who talked like that. She mother...she was a good mother. She could have gotten an abortion, but she had her and loved her so much for so many years. She worked so hard for them and not only works but goes to school. She was the best Mom! How dare people call her such horrible things, she hated them!

She rounded a corner to see her mom standing there with the ice-cream cones in her hands as she was being blocked by two older boys who seemed to be hitting on her.

"Hey darling." One said "you all alone? How about you join us for a drink, our treat?"

"I'm sorry" her mother said shaking her head "But I really must be go..."

But the second boy put his hand on her shoulder "don't be so hasty sweetheart, we were just offering""

"Well I'm choosing not to accept."

"Look here Dar..."

"Mama!" Morigawa cried jumping out from her hiding place and pushing past the boy's "You were taking so long, I got worries mama" she said, rubbing her face in her mother's side. Then she looked up into the shocked expressions of the boy's faces. "Friends?" she asked innocently.

Chihiro tried to wipe the smirk on her face as she smiled down at her "No Mori-chan, these young fellow's were just offering to buy us a drink."

"Really! Let's go!"

Chihiro hid her smirk behind a cute smile "well you heard her, if my _kawaii musume_ thinks it's a good idea then let's go!"

"Uh" the first boy said "I just remembered I...have a place...that I need to be...bye!" and he ran off. The other boy looked equally uncomfortable "Uhh...yeah! What he said" and then he too ran off.

As the two watched they burst out laughing "Baka" Chihiro said with a grin, I guess they can't handle mothers, well, bad luck for them, ne Mori-chan?"

"Hai Mama." Mori smiled.

"Oh!" Chihiro said, when she realised the ice-cream was beginning to melt. "Here, careful you don't dirty your new cloths or my mother will go nut's"

Mori nodded and took in a whole mouthful of her delicious chocolate ice-cream. Her mother took her hand and led her back to the park. But Morigawa stopped when she saw the ladies were still there. Chihiro noticed how quiet Morigawa had gotten even though she had already finished her ice-cream. The little girl tightened her hand in her mother's. "Mama, I changed my mind, can we go home?"

Chihiro was a little surprised, Morigawa loved the par, but they rarely got to go because Chihiro was always so busy, why would she...

Then she noticed how Morigawa was trying to avoid the two ladies on another bench who were whispering and staring at them with disapproving expressions and her heart almost broke again. Really, Chihiro was quite used to all the insults she received. People didn't take well to teenage moms. But she had heard them all so often that they no longer had any effect on her. But Morigawa...she was different. Every time she heard insults, she became sullen and depressed. She felt guilty, as if it were her fault her mother was being seen so badly. Chihiro felt so sad, no child should have to carry this burden.

"No Mori" she said firmly "even if you want to go home, I want to play with you here, and if those old bags don't like it then they need to be the ones to go." She said the last part just loud enough for them to hear and took great pleasure in seeing their faces scrunch up in anger. "Ne, Morigawa-chan?"

Morigawa looked at her mom with wide eyes before smiling wide "Hai!"

They went on the swings with Chihiro pushing Morigawa as she squealed and giggled with laughter "Waaaa! Higher, higher Mommy!" she cried happily.

On the other side of the park, the ladies looked over to the swings. The first child was a little girl with her hair in pig-tails about Morigawa's age "Ne, that looks like a lot of fun." She said to her friend who was a boy with messy black hair. "Yeah!" he said "let's go play over there." But as they jumped off the ladies said "Keitoko, Yousuke, we're going home!"

"Eh" Yousuke said unhappily "why!"

"Because I don't want you playing with people like them, now come on!"

The two ladies dragged their children away without Chihiro noticing. But Morigawa noticed, and she forced a smile to keep her mother from noticing how pained she was.

Kohaku stood on the banks of his river with a tense feeling. He always felt depressed, unhappy, tense, like he couldn't relax or be calm. Ever since he realised he couldn't find Chihiro he had been feeling that way. Ever since then Kohaku had been having problems.

Like he was always irritable and got angry over silly unimportant things easily. Because of this he stopped chatting with people, fearing that he would do something, but that only made people more afraid of him since he acted so cold and heartless. He had problems feeling calm. Always on alert. And he had been having sleep problems. What was the human word for it...oh yes! Insomnia, he was plagued with insomnia, even though he was so tired, he couldn't get to sleep.

But recently, for some strange reason, some of those problems seemed...not as bad. Like he would sometimes go back to the bathhouse feeling happy and refreshed and left people wondering what on earth happened to Kohaku. And just the other day...he almost managed to get to sleep. And the reason for this...that strange girl.

Morigawa.

Yes, it was ever since her appearance that the change in his problems began. The time he returned happy to the bathhouse had been after meeting her.

Kohaku closed his eyes and her image came up. Soft green eyes, dark chocolate brown hair, a face that was so familiar. Where had he seen her before? As far as Kohaku knew, he had never seen her before meeting her at his river, yes there was something about her. Even if she wasn't familiar, there was still something, something that...drew him to her.

But what?

Her scent?

She didn't smell like a normal human, perhaps that was what prodigy's smelt like. Kohaku had not spent much time around humans personally, so he wouldn't know. The only humans he knew on a name basis was Morigawa and Chihiro.

He shook his head. Thinking of Chihiro hurt to much, he didn't like didn't do it often.

Haku sighed and sat down on the bank of the river when suddenly a familiar scent of forests and rivers combined drifted over to him. It was different from the actual forest and the actual river, it was sharper and familiar. Seconds after scenting her, Morigawa stumbled her way through the thicket of bushed. Kohaku sometimes wondered how her mother allows a five year old to wonder about on her own. But he wasn't one to judge, he didn't even know his mother...did river spirits even have mothers?

Morigawa spotted him and her eyes lit up as she cried with happiness "Haku-san!"

There it was! That feeling of relief and calm. Why did he feel this way just from seeing her?

She came and shyly approached him "Um, may I sit?"

Kohaku blinked and nodded as she smiled and sat down.

The two sat in silence for a while. Kohaku glanced to the side and saw that there was something different about Morigawa. Her expression it seemed so...sad, like something was causing her pain and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Perhaps he should say something.

"Are you well?" he said suddenly.

"Huh?" she said, snapping back to attention and looking up, her painful expression was cleverly hid as she forced a almost realistic fake smile "Hai, I'm great!"

"Don't lie" Kohaku said bluntly "something's bothering you.

Morigawa froze for a moment "but that's not...I mean...because..." but she trailed off and looked back down at her lap sadly.

Kohaku waited for her to continue speaking, when she didn't he opened his mouth to encourage her, but then she said: "Do you..."

He paused and waited for her to carry on.

"Do you...think it's a bad thing to have a child at fourteen?" she asked softly.

"Huh?" Kohaku said, a little confused.

"Is it really a bad thing, to get pregnant at fourteen and not have an abortion? People act like it's such a bad thing; shouldn't they be happier that I'm alive? Why does that make my mother shameless?"

Morigawa's hands were curled into fists and shaking slightly, from either sadness or anger, he didn't know the reason, but he know it was badly troubling her.

"It's just that..." she sighed "my mother was raped when she was fourteen, and became pregnant."

The surprised Kohaku, of course he knew what rape was, but at fourteen? Wait, so her mother was about nineteen! So young.

"She was at her friend's birthday party, and someone spiked her drink. She was raped it wasn't voluntary, and the pregnancy was hard because grandfather demanded she get an abortion."

Then Morigawa looked up with an expression different from pain.

Pride

"But my mother refused, she said she was going to keep the baby, and was kicked out of the house. My mama worked so hard to support us, she dropped out of school and for the nine months that she was pregnant she worked so hard. She accidently met grandmother one day, and it was that day I was born. Grandmother decided she didn't want her only child on the street, so she tried to convince grandfather to keep us. But grandfather said he would only let mama back if I was put up for adoption...mama refused again, she said I was number one in her life, no matter where I came from. In the end, because of grandmother, grandfather relented. But he still hates me."

Morigawa looked down sadly again "My mom gave up so much to take care of me; she's only recently gone back to school. Mama loves me and even though she's always away and at either work or school, she still makes time for me. She's a great mom, I love her lots!

"But other people don't agree, they call mama shameless, wanton, a slut and a bad mother. People are always so mean to her and it's all my fault" Morigawa was tearing up now. "I don't care if they insult me, but I wish they wouldn't hurt mama. Mama, is a really good mom! Having a child at fourteen isn't a bad thing, right?"

Kohaku was still progressing all that he heard. A child at fourteen? rape? This child's mother had gone through all that and raised such a beautiful child. "No" he said softly.

Morigawa turned to him.

"It's not a bad thing, it wasn't her fault. And the fact that she kept you, to me that's impressive. She must be a really great person to work so hard, I'm impressed."

Morigawa looked at him shocked "you're not going to say she's a bad mother?"

"No"

"She's a good person?"

"Yes, a very good person and a strong one, like mother like daughter." He smiled "so don't take to heart what those other people say, they don't understand. And so..." he reached up to wipe the tiny teas forming in Morigawa's eyes "...don't cry, okay?"

Mori sniffed and then to Kohaku's surprise she clung to his side and rubbed her face in his shirt.

"Hey..." he began, but when he saw her shoulder's shaking, he smiled and instead patted her back. Let her cry, Kohaku had a feeling that this was the first time in a very long time that the child beside him had ever cried. She deserved it.

He thought about her situation. In the spirit world, those that did have children usually mated first. And those sometimes mated humans. Mating was a binding that lasted though time, it not only strengthened the bond between the two being mated but it extended the life of the weaker spouse by strengthening their bodies to survive time aging, the mate usually aged along with their mate. So they could always be together. If he ever found Chihiro, Kohaku was planning on doing the same with her.

But humans, they didn't seem to have the same morals. He had heard about abortions, where they killed the offspring from within the stomach. It seemed...barbaric.

But most girls did it.

Except the mother of this child. To have gone though so much at fourteen. He was impressed. And to promote such devotion in a child, he wasn't lying or trying to make her feel better when he said that he felt that Morigawa's mother must be a good person.

So they sat there while she cried.

Later that day, after Morigawa went home, Kohaku went back to his room in the bathhouse. And while lying on his bed thinking of Morigawa and Chihiro, he finally fell asleep.

* * *

**WAAA ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE**

_**Kawaii musume- Cute Daughter**_

**I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT**

**PLEASE REVEIW, IF YOU REVEIW IT WILL ENCOURAGE OTHER PEOPLE TO READ IT TOO. SO PLEASE REVEIW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A NEW CHAPTER AFTER A LONG TIME. I WAS GOING TO WAIT UNTILL I COMPLETED MY 'TEAH ME TO SING' PHANOM OF THE OPERA STORY BEFORE I WORKEDON ANYTHING ELSE, BUT I HOT A BLOCKED WALL ON THAT ONE SO I THOUGHT I WOULD LEAVE IT FOR A BIT. THEN I WATCHED SPIRETED AWAY AND FOUND AN URGE TO WRITE MORE OF THIS STORY. THIS HAD A BIG FLASHBACK AND THERES AN EVEN BIGGER ONE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER WHICH I'VE ALREADY WRITTTEN AND AM JUST IN THE PORCESS OF EDITING AT THE MOMENT,BUT BOTH FLASHBACKS A FILLEDTO THE BRIM WITH KOHAKU/CHIHIRO ROMACTIC FLUFF. **

**SO PLEASE READ BECAUE THIS CHAPTER'S REALLY CUTE, I HAD FUN WRITING IT, AND PLEASE REVIEW AND I PROMISE IT I WILL UPDATE SOON. THIS IS NOT A BARTER FOR REVEIWS, BUT ONLY AN AUTHORS REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK. ALTHOUGH FLAMES ARE NOT WELCOME IN ANY SHAPEOR FORM.**

**I DO NOT OWN SPIRETED AWAY, BUT I DO OWN MORIGAWA WHO WILL NOT BE APEARING IN THIS CHAPTER**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Kohaku's dragon body melded into the water as he drifted through its currents. As a powerful spirit with full control of his powers he didn't need to remain in the river at all times as other river spirits his age did, but he did need to return to it for a few days at a time to replenish its energy so it would not die.

As he did so, he let him mind wonder as freely as the river around him. He was in a state of being where he didn't think or feel; he just was. Existing in the most primal way possible, a powerful feeling that usually came only to the oldest river spirits.

River dragons, like himself, aged physically at the same pace of a human until their eighteenth year. After that their bodies aged more slowly and they were no longer governed by time. Kohaku had already passed his eighteenth year and was now stuck in the body of a eighteen year old and perhaps in the next hundred years he may be able to take on the body of a twenty year old, which was still a baby in dragon years.

If Chihiro were here, she would probably be in her nineteenth year, older than him in way. It was during his eighteenth year that Kohaku had given up looking for Chihiro. Because soon she would overtake him in years. Kohaku had wanted them to the age at the same time so they could be the same age, because he knew humans were finicky about those things, but it seemed hopeless. Everything went wrong. He had lost her.

Thoughts of Chihiro brought him back to present thinking as he opened his mouth and let out a trail of bubbles, his tail flicked and he sent a powerful wave down the river.

Even here was filled with memories of Chihiro, of the first time she met him.

But it wasn't Kohaku's first time seeing her. Kohaku had known her from since she was a small child. From the beginning he had known of her existence many years ago when he had first seen her face in a dream and then later found her name via a Witch.

But it wasn't till that day that he had been able to put a face and a name to an actual person.

When Chihiro had first fallen into his river, they had already been planning to close it down and build over his beloved home. He had been furious, and filled with sorrow. For years since his beginning he had brought joy to all those around him who sought from his river and now they were shutting him down.

And Kohaku was on the verge of giving up completely.

Then he met her.

The memory was so clear; closing his eyes he could still see it.

_Kohaku in his dragon form, snarled at the notice above his river: DANGER. CLEARED FOR DESTRUCTION._

_How dare these humans think they could tear him down like this, the river was a source of life for all that surrounded it: trees, grass, animals. But they were planning on tearing that down also. Everything was going to die and he couldn't do anything._

_This was the fate of so many rivers in this time period. Pollution destruction and so much more, was nature worth nothing anymore?_

_And what would become of him? With his river gone, what could he do? With no river to mediate his body, how would he survive. Will he become another nameless 'No-face' spirit? Without a home or a guide, forced to wonder until someone found them and gave them a purpose, if they were kind, wavering on the edge of good and evil?_

_No!_

_Why did they need to tear down the river, what was more important?_

_Was the river really so unimportant to these human, was he the same?_

_Worthless?_

_And that wasn't all, if his river was destroyed, he might never be able to meet __**her.**_

_Long ago, as a young hatchling, he had a dream. But the dream was of an adult. A young woman with long brown hair and dark grey/brown eyes, she was dressed in a kimono and his dream self was also an adult. Kohaku couldn't see his face clearly but he saw his dream self, hold her to him from behind like she would disappear if he let go, and when she turned to smile at him, it was like everything made sense. _

_Until he woke up, then everything only became confusing as he did not know who the woman was or why he had dreamed of her, but that pure feeling of joy in his heard from seeing her would not go away, nor would her face. Eventually it troubled him so much he left his river for the first time to seek help on the matter._

_He found a powerful Witch who was known for divining dreams, but she could tell him nothing other than the fact that he would meet the woman in his dream on day, and he would know her when he saw her no matter what. That she was meant to be his, his mate._

_Of course that exited him. Very rarely a spirit found themselves a mate, they often didn't need such things as love and comfort from another but it was still very welcome as it was the only human emotion that the spirits envied. The ability to love wholeheartedly. Especially since spirits lived such long lives, the idea of spending it with a love was a dream. Spirits often took mates, but rarely out of pure love._

_That he was destined to experience this kind of love, was a wonderful thing. But the Witch could tell him no more, who the girl was, when he would meet her, how to find her? The Witch told him that the girl would not be what he expected. And though intense divining, after he begged it so, she managed only a single name._

_Chihiro._

_That name even now haunted him. If they destroyed his river, how would he find this Chihiro?_

_Was all hope lost, was he really so worthless?_

_Flicking his tail he sent a strong wave of water that surged out the river and destroyed the sign. A foolish act of rebellion, he knew that it would not hinder the human's decision, but it made him feel better._

_He turned and swam further upstream; trying to force his mind to drift with the river, but it was something only older dragons could do._

_As he drifted, he heard something. The sound of a child's laughter, a human child, and the muffled sound of their parents calling them. _

_What were they doing here? With all the digging those stupid humans were doing, the banks of the river weren't safe, why would humans be here?_

_And then to his horror, he remembered, he had destroyed the warning sign, those humans hadn't seen it. _

_At first he thought 'I must warn them' but then he stopped. How would he warn them? What could he do? And even if there was something he could so, should he even do it?_

_Humans were the reason for all his troubles, their greed and evil knew no bounds. Why should he try to help any of their own? And besides, perhaps they would come, look and leave. Like all humans._

_But no, they sat down by the river's side and Kohaku watched as the child dipped her feet into the river. He knew the child to be female from the pink feminine shoes she wore. Her feet were so small, she looked his human age though mentally, Kohaku was already at least twelve. Spirits' minds aged quickly, so to him, so looked so small._

_Her laughter had a warm thrill to it and made him shiver with delight. Kohaku had almost forgotten what it felt like to have people experience happiness from his river, to hear laughter on his banks._

_He turned to leave the humans in peace, his temper calmed by the child, when suddenly he saw one of her pink shoes float past him and to the top of the river. Then there was a scream and a splash. Whipping round he saw the child had fallen in._

_Spirits were invisible to humans and could only be seen when they wanted to be seen or when a human was in direct contact with them, so the child floated past in the strong current, splashing and gasping. _

_Kohaku watched with curiosity. He knew humans could swim, so why didn't she swim to the top for air?_

_Then he realised she couldn't, and now she was drowning._

_He flinched and turned. Why should he help her, what did human kind ever do for him? _

_Nothing. _

_So why should he help one of their children?_

_But something pulled mercilessly at his heart till he turned back to her. _

_She really was a child, so young. Her dark brown hair was floating in the water, wrapping itself around her face and neck, choking her._

_Then she looked straight in his direction with dark grey eyes and in his mind Kohaku heard the sound of her laughter and made a split decision as he surged forward beneath her._

_He didn't know why, but something inside him was telling him he could not let this child die, no matter what._

_On close contact with her he released his Chi energy to control the oxygen flow in the water, so air would separate itself from the water and go into her lungs. Eventually he felt small fingers gripping his horns and he rushed forward with a new vigour._

_The parents screams echoed behind him, but he couldn't bring her back them without revealing himself. The only thing he could do was bring her to shallow water and leave her there to be found; perhaps later he would double back and lead them to her._

_After what seemed like ages he finally found a safe place to leave her, it was a shallow place with grass and trees, plenty or air for a dying human._

_Surging out of the water he let a roar of triumph as his primal instincts took over for a moment. The girl slid of his back unconscious. Closing his eyes, Kohaku reverted back into the form of a human boy._

_Since he rarely left his river and took on this form he had no need for cloths. With his new hands, he gripped the girl by her shoulders and pulled her up onto the bank where he laid her down gently._

_Kohaku gazed that her with a strange feeling of satisfaction blooming in his chest, as her brushed hair out of her face. But something was wrong. If she were alive, wouldn't her chest be moving up and down? _

_She wasn't breathing._

"_No!" he gasped, she couldn't be dead, he had made sure air got to her lungs, he felt her hands holding onto him tightly and when she went silent on his back, he had thought she had simply passed out, she couldn't be dead, after all he had done to save her._

_Placing an ear to her chest he realised it moved a little. Relief filled him as he realised that she wasn't dead, but it sounded like the air was stuck somehow. But what could he do?_

_Suddenly he remembered a time long ago when a woman felling his river her human mate saved her but she wasn't breathing, he had done something the humans called CPR and then the woman had breathed._

_How did it work? By putting his lips to hers in a kiss and breathing into her lungs?_

_For spirits, a first kiss was important, but there was nothing that could be done, while his soul screamed at him to save this child. He could feel her life slipping away in his very core._

_He tipped her head up and pinched her nose and then with a deep breath he put his lips to hers._

_At first he froze, shocked by the strangest feelings of 'rightness' he got from this simple action, like it was meant to be this way, his lips on hers. Then he remembered the task at hand and breathed in slowly into her mouth, forcing air into her chest, while doing so, he tied to push a little of his Chi into her also, to help the air along and to coax her lungs into working. After a few times of repeating the process the girl suddenly jerked and choked as water flowed out her mouth and she once again slipped into unconsciousness, but to his immediate satisfaction, she was breathing._

_He had done it, she was alive._

_An unimaginable feeling welled up in Kohaku as he looked at the living child; he rushed hair aside so he could see her face._

_She was alive; he had been useful to her._

_Perhaps his existence was not so worthless after all, because of not for him, she would be dead._

_He gazed at his human, and now that he was looking at her properly, he realised, she looked so familiar. _

_Like he knew her?_

_But where from?_

_Touching his lips, he remembered the feeling he had gotten from kissing her. That wasn't a real kiss, it was saving her life. But the sensation had not yet left him, like his body was trying to tell him something desperately. _

_He wondered to himself, was that pleasure a coincidence, or was it something else? Without thinking, his eyes closed as he once again pressed his lips to hers in a real kiss._

_His heart stopped and thongs seemed quiet, and a familiar sensation filled him and warmness spread though his chest. When he pulled away, he felt so content. What was this person; she couldn't possibly be a human?_

_But she was, she was definitely a human._

_Suddenly he heard screaming and calling and he realised the parents were here for their child._

_What surprised Kohaku though was the strange feeling of possessiveness that filled him as his hand tightened on her wrist involuntarily and he glared at where the sound was coming from. He didn't want them to take her from him, his little human. _

_But he knew that as foolish, this girl wasn't 'his' human, she was theirs, so despite his body's protest he forced himself to let go and stepped back, staring into her face. He wanted to see her eyes again, just once more._

_But he couldn't bring himself to return to the river, so instead he hid himself in a tree, determined to at least watch until they had taken her away too far to see her any more._

_A thin woman with the child's brown hair and a larger man who Kohaku took to be her parents rushed forward at the sight of her. The woman burst into tears as she screamed and held the child close, crying wildly "Oh my baby, my baby, you're safe!"_

_The child opened her grey eyes and Kohaku gripped the branch he held._

"_Mommy?"_

_Her voice was so soft and thrill, but it hit a cord in his heart that both hurt and felt so sweet._

_The mother only burst into more tears "Oh Chihiro, Chihiro don't ever do that to me again, I thought you had drowned, that you were dead! Oh Chihiro!"_

_At that name, Kohaku froze and almost fell out of the tree._

_The Witch for so long ago, her words and their conversation rang out in his mind:_

"_**I can tell you no more than what you have already seen"**_

"_**Please anything, how will I know her when I see her?"**_

_**The Witch laughed "Oh you'll know, your entire being will scream it at you and you'll know."**_

"_**Please, anything. At least a name, can't you give me her name?"**_

"_**Fine, young Spirit of the Kohakugawa, a name should be alright." The Witch sat as her eyes too on a ghostly vision and then she sighed. "Chihiro" she said "A strange name, but it's all I could see. Chihiro"**_

"_Chihiro" he whispered._

_He found her. But . . . she was human!_

_A human, how could his mate be a human?_

_It could be a coincidence, there were probably many in this world with the name Chihiro._

_But as he touched his lips, he knew that wasn't true. There were many Chihiro's, but only one was his mate, and this child was her. _

_He couldn't lie to himself._

_Watching as the father draped a coat around her shivering form, Kohaku smiled brilliantly._

_She was young, she was not yet the woman he saw in his dream but she would grow and become that one day. _

_Before, she was a myth, a story he kept hidden away in the back of his mind as a beacon of hope in dark times. Now, she was real. A living breathing creature before him and now that he kissed her, he would never forget her. _

_He couldn't give up, even if they destroyed his river, he would go, learn magic and come back to regain what was his, then he would find Chihiro again and make her his, properly._

_Even though mentally he was twelve he knew already that the Witches prophecy was coming true, that he would be one of the few rare spirits to find true love._

_She had given him back a reason to fight._

_As he watched the parents take his Chihiro away, he wasn't sad. Because they would only have this time with her, he would have eternity._

Or so he thought.

**THIS CHAPTER WAS ACTUALLY ORIGINALLY OVER 7000 WORDS LONG BUT I DESIDED TO SPLIT IT INTO TWO SO THE OTHER HALF OF THIS CHAPTER WILL BE NEXT.**

**PEASE READ AND REVIEW LOTS!**

**Kohakugawa = Kohaku river**


	6. Chapter 6

**HERE'S THE SECOND HALF OF THE CHAPTER AND I SERIOUSALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT, THIS HAD ANOTHER FLASHBACK BUT IT'S A COOL ONE, IT'S ABOUT KOHAKU AGAIN, CHIHIRO WILL FETURE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER BUT PLEAS READ AND REVIEW LOTS!**

**I DO NOT OWN SPIRITED AWAY**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Back in the present Kohaku rose out of the river and changed back into his human form and lay on the bank in the sun with an ironic smile at the memory of the second time he saw Chihiro.

Kohaku once again touched his lips and closed his eyes.

That first kiss was never enough, but it tied him to her in a way a human wouldn't understand. When he was young he thought since he met her once, everything would work out, that he would find happiness with her, eternity.

But he had been wrong, he didn't have eternity.

He found got his river back and became a powerful spirit but it was worth nothing without out her, the Witch was right about him loving her, but forgot to mention that it would be a domed love, he had just foolishly assumed that because they were happy in that dream they would be happy in life.

Memories of her and their first meeting were the only thing that made the process of meeting Yubaba and becoming her apprentice bearable. He did it for Chihiro.

_It had been a year since that day so long ago and finally Kohaku stood at the edge of the bridge to an impressive bathhouse_

_After his river was destroyed and concrete apartments were built over, Kohaku lost the medium he needed to remain in the human world and was forced to return here. He didn't become a 'no-face' because every time he was about to, he would remember Chihiro and would remember that he had to come back for her. As long as she existed in this world, he would find her. So he had a purpose, and that was what he needed to keep an identity._

_But after a year of traveling he had found a powerful Witch who could teach him magic. With magic, he would reclaim his river and his link to the human world and then he could search for Chihiro._

_The withes name was Yubaba, she owned this bathhouse for rich and powerful spirits to relax and that she was 'as crafty as she was ugly.' Kohaku did not understand that that meant, but he had a feeling that soon he would._

_So with a deep breathe he crossed the bridge with his head held high._

_He was dressed in a simple but elegant traveling kimono, so the frogs at the entrance thought he was a guest "Welcome valued customer" they cried but Kohaku ignored them_

_A spirit from another town told him to speak to Kamaji the boiler man, and to ask for work if he wanted to see Yubaba._

_He found a stairway that upon following it lead to a green door, when he entered the room was boiling hot._

_Then he realised the heat was coming from a friary furnace. Across the floor, little black balls with legs and eyes were squeaking along, each carrying a lump of coal that they then deposited into the furnace. Seated near the furnace was an old spider spirit. He sat grinding herbs as little wooden tokens fell from elastic cords before him._

_Kohaku thought of Chihiro and his river and nodded as he stood forward "Excuse me"_

_The spider spirit, who Kohaku had guessed was Kamaji, ignored him._

"_Excuse me, I need work"_

_Kamaji continued to ignore him but then he called out in an old, gruff voice "Go home, I don't need any more workers."_

_Kohaku wasn't giving up "I need work, I want to learn magic"_

_Kamaji froze and turned to him as he peered through dark glasses "Magic you say?"_

"_Yes" Kohaku nodded "I want to see Yubaba to learn magic and for that I need work."_

_Kamaji shook his head "I can sense that you're quite a powerful spirit, but you're wasting your time here."_

_Kohaku shook his head. _

_Then Kamaji said "Yubaba lives on the top floor, go through the small door and take an elevator."_

_Kohaku smiled and bowed "Thank you sir" and then he found the little door._

_But as he was about to leave, Kamaji called out "Be careful Dragon, once Yubaba gets her hands on you, she will never let you go."_

_Kohaku nodded and left._

_Getting past the frogs was easy since they thought he was a customer and soon he found an elevator to take him to the top floor. The hallway was so grand and gaudy and the doors were of solid red stone. Kohaku saw hideously ugly knocker and went to knock but it rolled its eyes and spoke "Knocking? Well at least you have manners even if you are a trespasser. I suppose you better come in and tell me what you want."_

_And then the doors opened. To reveal a row of room's whose doors opened in turn to make a hallway. Kohaku didn't waste any time entering; he didn't want to show any weakness of nerves in front of such a dangerous Witch._

_When he reached the end of the hallway he heard a voice echo "Good, now take a left" and when he turned he saw another hallway leading to another set off doors. Again without hesitation, he went in. _

_The doors opened for him before he even touched them and upon entering he was barraged with the most peculiar sight of three big green bouncing heads going "Houi' and 'Ha' rolling towards him._

_By expelling some of his Chi energy the heads stopped in their tracks and rolled away._

"_Very impressive" a low, haggardly voice crowed from across the room._

_Kohaku turned and had to try hard to hide the surprise from his face at the sight of the overwhelmingly ugly woman before him. _

_That must be what they meant by 'as crafty as she was ugly'_

_She looked at him with enormous brown eyes "A river dragon? What are you doing here?"_

_He turned and stood tall "My name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. I am the spirit of the Kohaku River, my river was destroyed and now I have no link to the human world. I've come here to ask to become your apprentice and learn magic."_

_At his announcement Yubaba burst out laughing "You fool boy, to make such a blatant request" she laughed "Why should I make you my apprentice, with no river you can't execute your full powers."_

"_That does not matter, I am still very powerful. I can learn and fill and apprenticeship"_

"_Hmm" Yubaba said "That's true, even without a river, river dragons are some of the most powerful spirits. But you haven't told me why should give you the post"_

"_Have you given it to someone else yet? If not I think you should hire me, when is another river dragon ever going to offer you their services? Never. And besides, I will certainly be more useful than those bouncing heads there." He smirked_

_Yubaba laughed and then she frowned "Ah so you have a sense of humour, while I admire outspokenness in customers, I don't like uncontrollably pets. But you make a valuable point; I will never find another river dragon willing to do y bidding, so I suppose I can make an exception. Alright Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi" she flicked her finger and a piece of paper and a pen flew in his direction "Just sign your name away, and while we're at it, let's drink to a new partnership."_

_As Kohaku signed his name on the contract he didn't notice Yubaba pour two glasses of wine and place a small black slug in one of them with a sneaky grin. After all, she didn't like toys she couldn't control._

_Kohaku gave the contract to Yubaba, inwardly smiling. Finally he was one step closer to his goal._

"_Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi huh?" Yubaba mused as she handed the goblet to Kohaku and looked at the contract "That's quite a name, it sounds like one that would belong to a God. Are you hiding something about your lineage?"_

_Kohaku said nothing as Yubaba peered at him. Then she shrugged "Well, it doesn't matter anymore" she held her hand over the contract and then some of the Kanji characters flew up off the paper and into her hand "Because your name now belongs to me. From this moment on you will be known as Haku. You will not refer to yourself by your former name as long as you work for me, do I make myself clear Haku?"_

"_Yes Mam" Kohaku said, nodding._

_Yubaba frowned at him "Just out of curiosity, what would make you sign your name away to a dangerous Witch for the chance to learn magic. Even if your river is gone you don't need to learn magic? And don't lie because I'll know right away"_

_Kohaku gazed into the cup and closed his eyes, in his mind he saw Chihiro sitting Lying on the banks of his river, the blue crystalline water and the feel of her lips on his. Her warm laughter and allowed himself a smile._

"_For my river and also . . . I lost the person I love a long time ago. I'm going to find her again"_

"_Love huh?" Yubaba sniffed "That's just an old wives tale, love isn't real and what would a spirit need love for? It's nothing but something a fool chases after and you don't look like a fool to me."_

_Kohaku shrugged "I no fool, just one who had touched upon a dream" he didn't lie, but he didn't tell the witch everything either, especially Chihiro's name or the fact that she was human._

_Yubaba only smirked "Perhaps we'll be able to work the idealism out of you, to a good future my new apprentice" she toasted, raising her glass to the air._

"_To a good future" he answered, thinking of his goals and swallowed the wine whole._

_Working for Yubaba wasn't easy, she worked him hard._

_She would send him on missions to collect payment for spells and to give spells to people and as he worked he learned magic slowly but surely. At first people in the bathhouse disliked that there was someone else who towered above them because as Yubaba's apprentice Kohaku, now going as Haku had full authority over them under Yubaba and they now addressed him as 'Master Haku'. But Haku exerted his power and soon they leaned to fear and respect his authority._

_As time went by, he became stronger, less emotional, to show emotion would mean to show weakness before the workers and Yubaba, he was trying so hard, but he didn't know what for. All that mattered was learning magic, but in the back of his memory, Haku knew that there was something else, something he was forgetting._

_One day he left the bathhouse or a mission though the oiler room as he wanted to avoid grovelling frogs._

_Kamaji looked surprised to see him._

"_Haku, what are you doing here?"_

"_Yubaba has sent me on a mission"_

"_Another mission, what is it this time, steal another priceless treasure from another Witch." When Haku didn't answer Kamaji knew he was right, Haku sneered at the spirit "If you'll excuse me, I'll be going."_

_But Kamaji's words stopped him "I warned you that once Yubaba got her hands on you she wouldn't let you go, and now I'm warning you again."_

"_What are you talking about Spider?" Haku said as he turned._

"_This is a dangerous game you're playing, seeking to steal Yubaba's magic secret. I strongly suggest you quit, and go back home."_

_Haku shook his head and found himself saying "I cannot, I have no home to return to."_

"_Ah, that's a shame. But I still think you should quit, you've learned a lot, isn't it enough? Quit before it becomes too late."_

"_Too late for what, nothing about me has changed."_

_Kamaji stopped grinding herbs and turned to him "You're wrong Haku, many things about you have changed, I think it was a mistake telling you how to find Yubaba that day, and it's become one of the things I've regretted the most."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_All I can say is the Haku I remember was young and earnest and had eyes filled with warmth. Now I see and empty shadow of that person with cold eyes like ice, two different people. When was the last time you laughed or smiled Haku?"_

_To this Haku had nothing to say, he couldn't remember the last time he laughed or smiled in his year of working for Yubaba. So he changed the subject "Since working for Yubaba I have become a powerful magician, I may one day even surpass Yubaba herself."_

"_Yes and I'm sure she has taken precautions in case of that, to control you. Tell me, when was the last time you had a thought for yourself?" at Haku's blank face Kamaji smiled "Nothing to say? Well how about this, you surpass Yubaba, and then what?"_

"_What?" Haku frowned._

"_What will you do next, will all this power" Kamaji asked "What was your reason for gaining power, because the Haku who came here had a reason for coming, an important one."_

"_I . . . I . . . I don't remember" Haku said, astonished. There was something in his memory, a reason for becoming powerful, what was it?_

"_I have one more question for you" Kamaji said "and then you can fly away and do your little mission, what is your name?"_

"_My name? My name is Haku"_

"_No, that's the name Yubaba gave you, I'm talking about you're real name."_

"_My . . . real name?" hen Haku realised, he had had a name before 'Haku' but what was it? "I don't remember" he realised "I don't remember my name!" he sank to the ground in shock "How could I have forgotten my name?"_

"_That's how Yubaba controls you, by stealing your name and until you get it back you will never be able to take the loophole in your contract with Yubaba and she will continue to control you."_

"_How can I find it again" he said, defeated._

"_I don't know" Kamaji said, tuning back to his grinding "But the first step is remembering the fact that you have another name, never forget that Master Haku"_

_And after that, Haku never forgot. He continued to try to find new ways of trying to remember his name but no matter that he tried nothing ever worked. Four years of serving Yubaba like a lapdog and nothing. He was now almost powerful enough to break away and set out on his own as a sorcerer, but without his name Yubaba would never let him go._

_And even if he did break away, what would he do?_

_One day he was returning from a mission Yubaba had sent him on, he flew over the spirit town, growling happily as the air currents glided over his scales when he saw something in spirit town. Two humans eating the food of the spirits! Were they mad! Yubaba would kill them as they were costing her money! He watched as another human, left the other two and headed for the bridge._

_Haku dove for the ground and silently turned back into his humanoid form. During the change, it always took a few moments for his eyesight to adjust because as a dragon his eyesight was magnified how it usually was as a spirit._

_He turned and froze._

_It looked to be a human female child, she looked to be about ten, the same age as his human form, though mentally he was about fifteen._

_She was of average height with brown hair tied back, wearing a green and white shirt with pink shorts, but it wasn't her looks or her appearance that shocked him it was just her. When Haku saw her, he felt his whole body freeze and his Chi energy pull to her as he blinked and a single name came to mind._

'_**Chihiro'**_

_But why? _

_Why, when he didn't even remember his own name, could he remember this name?_

_She leant over the side of the bridge looking at the train, and then she turned to him and Haku saw her brown/grey eyes, so familiar though he didn't know from where, he gasped and stepped towards her._

_She looked surprised to see him, but not as shocked as he was. _

_For a moment he could only stare at her as a strange feeling welled up in his chest, something he hadn't felt in four years, __**joy?**_

_But then he remembered she was human, and the bathhouse was going to open soon. If Yubaba found her she would turn her into an animal. And a strange feeling of protectiveness filled Haku._

"_You shouldn't be here" he called out in desperation "Get out of here now!"_

"_What?" she said, even her voice was familiar. After four years of trying to remember something, he for some reason found her voice familiar._

"_It's almost night, leave before it gets dark."_

_But then it got dark and light appeared behind him "They're lighting the lamps" he said to himself, not good, is it got dark the field would turn to water and she would be stuck here forever._

"_Go! Get out of here!" he cried, pushing her off the bridge "You've got to get across the river, go I'll distract them."_

_And as she ran he cast a quick spell of confusion so no weak spirits would see her as a human, or if they saw her, they would see only air._

_After the spell was gone he ran to find her, snagging a berry from a nearby bush just in case. If she didn't eat food from this world she would disappear._

_He saw the other two humans, and just a he had thought, they had turned into pigs and were being beaten by a spire cook._

_That meant that the girl who he suspected was called Chihiro was still in the spirit world._

_He ran all over town searching for her until he came to a building near the water and found her curled up in a ball. She looked so scared and helpless, Haku found himself wanted to protect her with all his heart, in fact he felt like he had never wanted anything as so much before in four years. Only her softly was important now._

_He put his hands around her shoulders "Don't be afraid" he said "I just want to help you"_

"_No, No, No!" she cried, terrified out her mind and Haku wasn't surprised, after all she had gone though, she was only a human. _

_He pulled out the berry and told her to eat it, or she would disappear. But she was too scared to listen and tried to push him away, but her hands went right through him._

_In her astonishment he pushed the berry into her mouth "Don't worry" he said, realising what was scary about the food "It won't turn you into a pig."_

_When it was in her mouth he nodded "Chew it and swallow"_

_She obeyed with great difficulty and he nodded "There you go, you're all better. See for yourself" he held up his palm._

_Carefully, her fingertips traced him palm, and to his shock, he let out a small smile as her childish voice whispered "I'm Ok?"_

_Then he smiled, the feeling felt strange for him, but seeing her eyes immediately filled with trust as she gazed at him, made him so happy for some reason. He liked that look in her eyes he wanted her to like and trust him. He took her hand in both of his "You see? Now come with me?"_

_He tried to pull her to her feet but her gripped his hands and cried "wait, wear are my Mom and Dad? They didn't really turn into pigs did they?"_

_He looked at her with Pity. She was so lost and all alone, her parents were pigs._

"_You can't see them now, but you will…" the he froze as he felt a familiar Chi energy approach, Yubaba's spy the Yu-bird."_

_He knelt down and pressed Chihiro to the wall "Don't move" one arm supported him against the wall the other circled around her shoulders, holding her to him._ _With Haku's magic he made himself and Chihiro invisible_

_He watched as the monstrous bird circled in the sky above, its bulbous eyes searching greedily the streets below. It was searching for Chihiro, so Yubaba could turn her into something even worse than her parents as punishment for getting away._

_His grip on Chihiro tightened until she was pressed tightly against his chest so he could feel her every breath.__** 'Over my dead body they'll lay one hand on her'**__ he thought viciously as the bird flew away._

_When it was gone he pulled her thought the town to the bathhouse bridge they had some trouble at first since her legs had given way and were fused to the grounds energy but with his magic he freed her. He tried to get her over the bridge but his spell to make her invisible only worked on normal ground, the bridge was enchanted to force people to show their true selves before they entered the bathhouse, only 'no-face's' evaded this rule since they had no true self. But because Haku was a powerful sorcerer he managed to find a loophole in this spell. Any breathing thing had to show itself. So he told Chihiro to hold her breath as she griped his arm and murmured "I'm scared"_

_But unfortunately the idiotic frog leaped out at them just seconds away from the edge of the bridge and scared her as Chihiro gasped._

_Later after getting them to softly she apologised "I'm sorry, I took a breath" but the damage had already been done as frogs and Yuna's ran about idiotically inside calling out 'Master Haku' 'Mater Haku'._

_Annoying pests, the lot of them, he didn't want to leave her, but he knew he had to. _

"_No Chihiro" he said gently "You did very well" he was surprised she had managed so much, most humans would have broken down by now. But his Human was strong._

_That surprised him, when had he started thinking of her as 'his human?'_

_He told her she needed to go, that he would create a distraction and when she cried for him not to leave her, Haku felt his inner Dragon snarling at him. Even his inner Dragon had taken to this Human. He kept his fact neutral and told her he didn't have a choice and neither did she if she wanted to save her parents and then he gave instructions to find Kamaji, knowing that the old spider Youkai would not be able to resist a child no matter how tough he acted._

_He warned her that Kamaji would try to turn her away and told her how important it was that she got work to protect her from Yubaba._

_When the Frogs and Yuna's continued to call for him, Haku knew he had to leave. "I have to go" he said, taking her hands "And don't forget Chihiro, I'm your friend"_

_As she stood she said softly "H-How do you know my name's Chihiro?"_

_Haku chided himself for being so careless but knew he needed to answer her or at losing her trust, so he said what felt right "I've known you sine you were very small" he said and somehow, in his deepest memories, he knew that was the truth, he did know her and he was determined to protect her._

_It had not yet occurred to him, that despite Yubaba's complete control of him, Haku was disobeying her for the first time in four years. He could feel it there in the back of his mind, but his concern for Chihiro was more important_

"_Good luck, and remember don't make a sound."_

Back then it had been an amazing thing for him to remember Chihiro's name, astonishing even. But now it seemed only natural that he would remember. For as long as he could remember, Chihiro's name had always been a beacon of hope for him and Chihiro was one of the main reasons he had gotten mixed up with Yubaba in the first place and then Chihiro did the impossible and gave him back his name.

And her confession, hearing her tell him she loved him, and been so wonderful he would have given up his name a thousand times just to be told it wasn't a dream.

But, it really wasn't a dream and he kissed her again a kiss that far surpassed the kiss he gave her so long ago as a child. And on that island they pledged they love to each other with a promise that he would find her. A promise he broke.

His goal so long ago was to find Chihiro again in the human worlds after his river was completed, but now he couldn't find her. She was sure to hate him, nine years it had been. She was ten when they said goodbye, now she was probably nineteen.

Definitely she hated him, nine years of waiting, was sure to make anyone hateful.

But even so his heart still longed for her. The witch was right, eternal love only existed in the spirit world, but what scared Kohaku, was that it didn't exist in the human world. Eternal love didn't exist for humans, and hearts changed, so did that mean, that even if he found her, and even if she didn't hate him, Chihiro's love was no longer his?

**SO THERE YOU GO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?**

**PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK AND STUFF, I HUNGER FOR YOUR REVEIWS**

**READ AND REVIEW **


	7. Chapter 7

**IM GOING TO CHANGE THE RATING OF THIS STORY TO 'M' DUE TO SEXUAL LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS. BASICALLY SMUT. **

**I APOLOGIS TO THOSE HO DON'T LIKE SMUT,BUT PLEASE, IT ITS OK, CAN YOU ALL STILL READ THIS STORY? THANKYOU. IM PLANNING ON GOING BACK IN THE FIRST TWO CHAPTER TO TRY TO MAKE KOHAKU A LITTLE MORE IN HE STILL HAS TO BEHOPELESSLY IN LOVE WITH CHIHIRO FOR THE STORY TO MAKE SENCE.**

**I DON'T OWN SPIRETED AWAY.**

**Chapter seven**

"Oh yeah!" Chihiro cried, pumping her fist in the air. She was sitting at the school fountain, looking at her mock-exam results for the fifth time. She scored 95%. All that studying paid off in the end.

She scratched the back of her left hand, a habit of nine years that she had never been able to grow out off, it always felt like there was something on her hand but whenever she looked, it was always blank.

"Chihiro!" she turned to see some of her friends ambling over. They were all younger than her by many years and all of them were girls, but they were her close friends, especially Chiyo-chan.

"Hey Chiyo-chan" Chihiro answered brightly as the three girls gathered round her.

Chiyo had dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, she and Chihiro had known each other since she was eleven years old, they were neighbours for a time, then Chiyo moved into a smaller apartment. They bonded over the fact that both their names started with 'Chi'. Chiyo lived alone since her parents worked overseas and when Chihiro had left her home after getting pregnant she had stayed at Chiyo's place. Chiyo was her constant support through her pregnancy and was Morigawa's godmother. There was no one Chihiro trusted more.

"Chihiro, you got a 95%? Congrats, all I got was 72%" she smiled jokingly "But still, it a passing grade. What about you Sachiko, Rindou?"

Sachiko and Rindou were both sixteen and sweet girls, Chihiro liked them both. They became friends when Chihiro started going to high school again.

"I did Ok" Sachiko shrugged "But Rin-chan failed big time!"

"Hey!" Rin exclaimed "It wasn't that bad 53% isn't so… … …ok, it's bad. So the girls and got I got a hold of some wine, were going to get drunk and forget out troubles till morning, you wanna come with?"

Chihiro blanched at the thought. She wanted to say no, but everyone was looking so expectantly at her, Chihiro was weak to things like that. But luckily, Chiyo stepped in "Guys, you know how much Chihiro hates Alcohol, don't even bother."

Chihiro smiled with thanks "Thanks guys, But I should get home to Mori-chan anyway. You know how she hates to be alone."

"Oh yeah" Sachiko gushed, another nice thing about her friends was that they all liked her daughter. "Tomorrow can we come over? I'll bring chocolate cake, the one Mori likes most. It's been ages since we've seen her since we've been studying so much. Please!"

Chihiro laughed "Of course, I know she'd love that. Especially if it involves sweets."

"Ok, the Chiyo, we'll meet you later at your place"

"Yeah, se you then" and then they went their separate ways. Chiyo and Chihiro lived in the same direction so they walked home together. After a few minutes Chihiro spoke "Thanks for getting me out of that one Chiyo-chan."

"Don't mention it; I know how you hate drinking."

"It's not so much drinking, I hate how when you're drunk, everything makes sense."

Drink was the reason why she had lost so much of her life before. On her fifteenth birthday her friend had gotten her hands on some drink and had a party and Chihiro stupidly got drunk and even more stupidly mistook her rapist for someone else, making it consensual. Only to wake up the next morning in a dingy hotel alone with cum all over her thighs. She had been so drunk she dreamt of Kohaku, and in her mind, she thought she had been sleeping with him. It wasn't so surprising, considering that she missed him so much.

Chihiro had just…wanted to see him so badly. In her dream, she had gone to that hotel because she was too afraid to go home. Then Kohaku showed up, all grown up. He was so hansom, with his dark black hair reaching beyond his shoulders, out as usual, dressed in a striking Yukata, he looked like some Heian era hero. She had been so happy, even if it was a dream, just to see him again.

In her dream he loved her so tenderly it made her cry, and all the while he kept telling her how much he loved her. For a fifteen year old, it was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced; it felt perverted but so right at the same time.

They made love all night long, she thought she lost her virginity to the person she loved. It was such a beautiful dream, with such a bitter ending.

Her rapist stuck her with the bill and a baby.

But Morigawa was the most beautiful thing she had ever had, there wasn't a day she wasn't happy for her little girl. Though Chihiro still sometimes thought about him, she had given up long ago any hope of him ever coming. Now she only lived for her daughter. That was why she worked so hard in school.

Morigawa…What would Kohaku think of her?

Would he be disappointed because Mori wasn't his? Would he love Mori anyway?

* * *

Morigawa was drawing a picture of Haku-san in the school library; she was using lots of colours. She wanted to give it to him later as a present. But she wasn't as good at drawing as mama was. Mama was really good at drawing and painting, she was learning it in her school and she always got really good marks. Morigawa wanted to be just like her when she grew up.

She was just colouring in the blue on his Yukata when she heard someone come in.

"Hello" he cried, trying to sound assertive and hating how her voice came out so childish.

"Oh, Ogino-san" a old voice called out. Morigawa sighed; it was just Rindoumi-sensei, the music teacher and chorus club counsellor. "Sensei" Mori called softly.

Sensei was an old woman way in her fifties, she was often kind to Morigawa which as why the girl liked her. "Ogino-san, what a coincidence, I've been looking for you."

"Me sensei?"

The teacher crouched down as best she could till she was level with Morigawa and smiled in what she thought was an encouraging way. Morigawa sighed; this was what she hated though, when people treated her like she was stupid. "Ogino-san, you know I'm the councillor for the chorus club right?"

"Yes?"

"Well in a few days were going to perform at the School music festival. Usually, Mei-san performs the solo, but recently she's been slacking off and acting very silly" she explained in a soft babying voice. "I really didn't know what to do. But I couldn't help but over hear you singing in the courtyard today at lunch. I must say Ogino-san, you have a remarkably lovely voice. It's very beautiful, I was so surprised. And so grown up too."

Morigawa smiled "Yeah, I sing for Mama sometimes, she says it makes everything better, so I sing lots so I can sing well for mama when she's sad."

"That's nice dear" she replied, but not really caring "But this is what I was thinking. Since Mei-san doesn't want her singing part, I was wondering if you might sing instead."

"Really!" Morigawa was exited, she loved singing, and the idea of singing in front of people was exiting.

"Yes, really. It would be great if the schools smartest and youngest student sang, I'm sure everyone would like it, and the board of directors will be there too. So do you want to try?"

"Oh yes! I would like that very much!"

"Really? You won't be scared?"

"I won't, I promise, I love singing!"

"Pinkie promise?" she said, holding out her pinkie.

Morigawa stared at it '_really' _but without a complaint she hooked it around the lady's pinkie and shook it "Promise! Oh" she frowned "But what about Mei-san, won't she be angry with me? She doesn't like me very much."

"I promise everything will be fine. She won't have anything to say."

But Morigawa wasn't so sure.

* * *

Kohaku smiled as he smelt Morigawa's fresh earthen scent beside his river. It had been a few weeks since the last time he had visited the human world to recharge his river, and was glad to see the child again so soon. She reminded him of something familiar and soothing. Kohaku was happy with her scent.

He found her on the bank of his river, dangling her feet in with a bored in her lap, she looked to be drawing something. Suddenly she turned "Haku-san" she cried happily "You came!"

"Morigawa, you really like my river, don't you"

"Un!" she nodded and took a paper lying next to her and held it out to him "Look, I made this for you."

He took it and sat beside her, holding the paper as he dangled his legs into the water the second the two elements met, the river began drawing Chi energy from him hungrily, it didn't hurt, it tickled mostly. He rolled open the paper and frowned, then smiled "Oh, is this me?"

"Yeah" she said, grinning "Do you like it?"

"It's very nice." It was in a childish way. "It's not going to win any art competitions" but it was thoughtful and sweet. A crayon drawing of him in his Yukata under a tree and next to him was a scribble that looked like Morigawa, and they were holding hands. "And this is you?"

"Un!"

But holding Morigawa's other hand was a drawing of a woman. She was tall with brown hair, the face was just two grey dots and a big red lipped smile. "Who's this?"

"Mama!"

"I see" so this was her famous mother. Kohaku felt like he knew her personally, since Morigawa was always talking about her; there wasn't a single conversation where her mother didn't pop up. He thought it was sweet that the child thought so much of her mother.

"That's me" Morigawa said, leaning over and pointing at the drawing of her "That's you and that's Mama! I drew you both because I love you both the best!"

"You love me huh?" he smiled

"Yeah, I love Haku-san; you're one of my favourite people ever!"

HIs heart felt warm as he looked into the earnest face of the child. He couldn't explain it, but it felt important to be accepted by her. Morigawa was quickly becoming very precious to him, she chanced away the loneliness in his heart that was left by Chihiro in a way no one else could. From the moment she came into his life, things started feeling better. He slept more, ate more and felt so much more…happy than before. He ruffled her hair "I love you too Morigawa."

She beamed and snuggled into his side. Kohaku, who usually did not like physical contact, strangle did not mind the child's presence

"Kohaku-san, guess what!"

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna sing in a concert soon"

"Oh, you an sing" he asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, I love singing! I'm gonna sing in the assembly!"

"Is that good?"

"That's very good! I get to sing the main part in front of everyone! But I'm still a little worried?"

"Oh, and why's that"

"Cause I'm scared hat Mei-san will be angry?"

"Mei-san?"

"Yeah, she's like a witch. She's mean and scary and she doesn't like me. And she does mean things to me, like once she glued my chair to the floor so I couldn't get up and she had her friends cut the seams on my shoes when it was really hot and she's done lots of other things. She's always picking on me and I can't say anything because it'll trouble mama. I hate her!"

"It seems this Mei…wait, was she the one who cut your shoes before?"

"Yeah, it hurt. I really hate her, and now I'm scared she'll do something to me again. Because she was supposed to do the solo, but Sensei gave it to me because she never comes to practice. But she won't like me taking her part. But I really wanna sing!" Morigawa sniffed and began colouring again. "Sensei said nothing will happen, but I don't believe her because teachers always that and the bullies still win. It's not fair."

"Some would say life's not fair" He said.

"Well is should be. Life should be fair all the time." she sniffed.

Kohaku smiled. Morigawa sometimes reminded him a little of the younger Chihiro, the way they looked when trying to be strong as the same. Perhaps they would look very similar when she was ten also. Maybe his Chihiro was dead and this was her reincarnation?

Kohaku half blanched and half laughed at he thought. With his terrible luck, it was most likely.

"So it's decided, if Mei-san decides to bully me, Kohaku-san will protect me!" she suddenly announced.

Kohaku blinked "Me?"

"Yea, You. Because I don't think the teachers would try had enough, so I don't trust them. But if it's Kohaku-san, then I know I'll be ok."

There was one thing Kohaku was weak to, and that was being depended on. Especially by cute human girls who looked like his beloved. As she asked this, all he could see was Chihiro, when she begged him to help her help her parents, and he had been powerless against her then. Justas he felt powerless now.

"Yes" he said "If you need me, you only need to come here and call for me, and I will come no matter what."

"Because we're friends, right?"

"Yes."

* * *

NEW CHAPTER AFTER SO LONG.

AS I SAID PREVIOUSLY, IVE UPPED THE RATEING. NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE A SMUT SCENE. I DON'T WANT TO SAY 'DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE SMUT' BECAUSEI REALLY WISH YU WOULD ALL STILL READ, BUT I DON'T WANT FLAMES EITHER. SO…YEAH. ANYWAY, I NEED THIS TO BE SMUT.

I HAVE ALREADY HALF WRITTEN THE NEXT HAPTER, SO PLEASE REVIEW LOTS AND ILL PUT IT UP.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Spirited away.

**WARNING-themes on abortion here, don't start flaming me because of whats written here because I only wrote from what I thought Chihiro may do. I'm staying out of the conflicting argument of abortion. Personally I don't like it, but I'm now saying anything against people who do get abortions. Ok, so no flames.**

**Chapter 8**

"Morigawa" Chihiro called as she walked through the house, carrying a plate of watermelon slices and some oranges. She had a half day that day and had bought a treat for her and Mori to enjoy since it was summer.

Eventually Chihiro found her lying in the garden on the patio. Chihiro's house was a two floor house with five bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, living room and a small garden. Chihiro pulled open the sliding glass doors and set the slices down.

Morigawa was sleeping, lying on her back and basking in the warm summer sun, her long brown hair lay splayed all over the wooden patio. Chihiro took a moment just to watch her daughter sleep. Morigawa was so beautiful. People always said that she looked like her, but there was something else in the child's features.

Chihiro had an innocent prettiness; Morigawa had an elegant beauty that was marred only by her age. Chihiro could see she was going to be stunning when she was grown.

Her ivory skin, her long eyelashes, her almond eyes and hair that made Chihiro a little jealous. Now, like most days, Chihiro stared in wonder '_Did that really come out of me?_

She smiled and bent to softly shake Morigawa's shoulder. "Mori, Mori" she said softly. Morigawa stirred and sat up rubbing her eyes "Mama…Mama! You're home early!"

Chihiro nodded "yeah, and I got some watermelon. Want some?"

Watermelon and Oranges were her favourite fruits. Morigawa sat up eagerly and reached out; she looked so childlike Chihiro laughed. Although her father was always trying to put Morigawa through more and more programs that would push her intelligence the limit, Chihiro would try equally hard to simply keep Mori as a child. She was five! A five year old should be worrying about whether or not they would be getting the doll they wanted on Christmas, not algebraic equations and Shakespeare.

Chihiro sat down and looked at Morigawa. Her childish face was lit up with delight as she munched through the fruit eagerly. Even though she didn't look exactly like Chihiro, there was definitely some of her in there.

Her little baby.

Morigawa had changed Chihiro's entire life.

_FLASHBACK_

"_What!" Chihiro stared open mouthed at the woman in the white coat speaking nonsense. "What was that, I didn't hear correctly."_

"_I said you're two months pregnant Ogino-san." _

_No, she heard correctly._

_For a few weeks now, Chihiro's body had been going haywire. First she was throwing up every morning, then her period was gone, and then there was the fact that the smell of meat buns made her want to hurl every time. _

_But this, this explains everything_

_The Doctor was looking at her with a level look but inwardly she was thinking 'This girl's only fourteen years old!'_

_Chihiro didn't notice though, she just stared at the ground lost in her thoughts._

'_Pregnant, can I be pregnant! How…'_

_But she knew how. That night of her rape, when she woke up in the hotel alone…_

_Now that she was thinking about it, there was cum all over her legs. He didn't use a condom!_

_Her rape and been so traumatic, that Chihiro had been to disgusted with herself to tell anyone, she didn't even think about it, she just pretended that that night never happened. As far as she was concerned, it happened and she wasn't going to let him ruin her life._

_But it did; now she would be forever scarred by the shame of her naivety. That she actually, even in a drunken stupor, mistook that man for Kohaku. It was too disgusting. And this thing inside her was a part of that._

"_I want an abortion" she said immediately. _

_The doctor blinked and nodded. "I see, are you sure?"_

"_I'm sure" Chihiro said immediately. She couldn't be pregnant, she just couldn't. This was going to ruin everything._

_She had school. Her parents would kill her, Kohaku…_

_What would he say when he came back? _

"_Alright, but I have to run you though some information, standard procedure." _

_Chihiro didn't want to hear any standard procedure; she didn't want to hear anything. The doctor said something about killing the child, it would have bad effect on her body, but Chihiro tuned out after that. She didn't want anything changing her mind, she didn't want there to be any doubt. She had to do this, no matter what._

"…_knowing all this, are you sure you want this?"_

"_Yes" she said, even though she hadn't been listening._

"_Alright, I'll need your parents signed consent…"_

"_NO!" Did this person not understand "I don't want my parents to know, I haven't told anyone?"_

"_Alright, that's fine. It's not mandatory." The doctor smiled "But I think it would be best if your parents knew, this is a big step and there could be other alternatives. You don't have to get an abortion."_

"_No, I need this" Chihiro said with resolution "How soon can I get this…thing, out of me?"_

"_Let me see" and the doctor clicked on her screen and began typing on her computer key board. Chihiro tried to think about anything else except what she was about to do. She wasn't a selfish person or a bad person she was just…scared. She was terrified and she didn't want to confront her fear. She was just fourteen; she wasn't ready for a child._

"_Alright Ogino-san…" the doctor aid after a while "I've looked at the schedule and I'm sorry to say that there aren't any openings for at least a three week"_

"_WHAT!" she cried. Three weeks, no, no, no! That was way too long; she couldn't have three weeks of this stress, the thing needed to go now! "Why a so long, I'm here now, can't we just do it?"_

"_I'm not licenced to give an abortion Ogino-san, I have to schedule you with a specialist or both you and I will go to jail. And its only with a specialist that you can do this without parental consent anyway. Today is Sunday; I can book you an appointment next week Saturday. Is that acceptable?"_

_Chihiro slumped in her chair. Three weeks, could she last that long? "Are you sure you don't have anything else?"_

"_Yeah, one o'clock two months from now" _

_Well that hadn't been a hard decision._

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- _

_Monday started of depressing. Chihiro couldn't even look at her stomach. She threw up, as usual and cursed the thing in her stomach. The days passed and soon Chihiro found herself on a Wednesday. The entire time she forced herself not to think of the creature growing in her belly, more and more with each passing second. She had to call it a creature, Chihiro was afraid of calling it anything else; she didn't want it to be real._

_On the train she sat in the corner, the place was crowed for a Monday morning and a seat was always useful because if you were sitting down, then the molester's couldn't get to you. She swayed from side to side and glanced out the window. Chihiro liked trains, they reminded her of the spirit train she had taken as a child to see Zeniba. Even now she could see the Bou-mouse and the Yu-bird jumping eagerly at the window, felt the chill of No-face at her side. _

"_Excuse me" Chihiro blinked and the vision disappeared. She turned and saw a woman heavily pregnant standing before her, pointing at the seat "I'm sorry, but do you think…" she trailed of._

_Suddenly Chihiro realised what was being asked of her "Oh! Yes, yes of course!" she got up and allowed for the woman to sit down. _

"_Urg" the woman moaned "Thank you, this little one doesn't make things easy to get around. But getting seats when you want is one of the few perks of being pregnant" she smiled humorously._

'_Actually, I'm pregnant too' Chihiro thought, but then she slammed down on that thought immediately. She wasn't going to think about this, she wasn't pregnant; at least she wouldn't be in a few weeks' time._

_But against Chihiro's better judgment, her eyes trailed over to the woman again, who was rubbing her belly affectionately, with such a maternal expression that despite her earlier complaint, her happiness was obvious._

_The train reached her stop and Chihiro ran off before anymore weird thoughts could enter her mind._

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- _

_The days passed. Since then, Chihiro was sure the fates were laughing at her, because it seemed everywhere she went; there were pregnant woman and babies. All over the place!_

_She went to the super market, there they were._

_She went to the park, there they were._

_She went to school, there they were._

_She went ANYWHERE AND THEY WERE THERE!_

_It was a bloody nightmare._

_And recently, against her will and due to her subconscious, she found her hand…slowly resting on her stomach every time she saw those women. _

_What was the matter with her? This wasn't a child, it was a…was a…was a something!_

_Chihiro was on the train again, on the way home, she was thinking about Bou. _

_He was a big baby._

_Then a forbidden thought came to mind, was her baby a boy or a girl?_

_The thought horrified her; Chihiro didn't want to think about this. But again her hand reached for her stomach._

_The next day Chihiro started acting even more strangely. _

_And the days continued to pass. But she had abnormally been slipping up, looking at her stomach, thinking about children. Fantasising how she would live if she had a child?_

_Then one day it happened, the decisive day._

_She'd been walking along the staircase in her school, deep in thought with text books in her hand. When suddenly some idiot first-years ran past her and knock into her. She was close to the stairs, she was falling._

_And somehow, the first thought that had come to mind hadn't been anything about her. She hadn't thought 'Ahhh, I'm going to die' or 'Help I'm falling!' _

_It had been 'Oh god no, my baby!" all she could think about was the child in her, she even tried to turn her body round so she would fall on her back instead of her stomach._

_Luckily a teacher grabbed her arm and caught her before she could fall properly. But her hand as on her stomach and the thought echoed though her mind, before anaemia and stress finally got to the pregnant teen and she passed out. _

_When she came to, she was asleep in the nurse's room. The first things she did was feel her stomach. Her baby; was it safe? Was it…still there?_

_Then the thought of it not being there anymore, the troublesome thing that had been making her heave for weeks on end, causing her stress, ruining her life! The thought of it not being there, she suddenly felt so horrified she felt sick. She wanted to cry. _

_No, not like this, she wasn't supposed to lose her child like this, her baby!_

_But then the smell of cafeteria food wafted in and suddenly Chihiro felt sick again, but a different kind of sick. Pregnant sick. She held it in._

_A bubbly feeling started welling up in her chest. Her baby was still there, it was safe! The baby wasn't dead! She laughed in pure delight, then froze._

_What was wrong with her, she want supposed to be happy it was alive; she was getting an abortion…wasn't she?_

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- _

_The days continued to pass and Chihiro found herself sitting on the train, stewing over everything she had been thinking over. _

_Slowly, the longer she waited, the more her thought began to lean sideways. Like the fantasy's turned into plans, plans for how she would raise a child at fourteen, subconscious ideas for names, thoughts on what they may look like. It was scary but strangely addictive._

_But her parents would never approve. Her father especially, he would definitely make her get an abortion. Everyone would hate her; they would call her irresponsible and stupid. People would bully her child, everyone would stare. It would be a bastard child with no one who loved it. How could she give life to something that would be so unwanted?_

_Then someone sat next to her and Chihiro realised it was that same woman from Monday, the pregnant one. _

_Neither of them spoke, they sat in silence for what seemed like hours, until Chihiro saw from the corner of her eye the woman rubbing her stomach again. _

"_Why do you do that" Chihiro asked, before she could stop herself._

_The woman looked surprised, but she answered "Because it feels good, for me and the baby."_

_Baby, there really was a baby in there wasn't there. Not a thing. It wasn't a thing to that woman._

"_Aren't you scared?" Chihiro asked._

"_Hm, about what dear?"_

"_About everything! Carrying, it, giving birth to it. What if…what if it's born and no one wants it?"_

_The woman smiled "I'll want it, and frankly that's all that matters" she said and looked at Chihiro. The woman wasn't stupid; Chihiro was asking the same questions she herself had thought when she was pregnant, questions he had wished someone had the answers to. Now she can give them to someone else. That that was why she answered "You know; I'm going to be a single parent."_

"_Huh?" Chihiro was surprised; she didn't expect the woman to answer so much. _

"_Yeah, my boyfriend left when he found out, he didn't want it messing up his career. My parents said I should get an abortion."_

"_So why didn't you" Chihiro asked quickly, then blushed "Sorry."_

"_No, it's ok" the woman said "Well…I was going to. But then I suddenly I realised; 'Wow' there's a baby in me! And I wouldn't kill a baby if it were out in the world, why should I kill one just because I can't see it. Not that there's anything wrong with abortions" she said quickly, not wanting to offend Chihiro in case she was seriously in desperate need of an abortion "But for me…it was good because it meant that I wasn't alone, even if my family leave me and my boyfriend ill always have my son. Don't get me wrong though, it's going to be so hard. I'm giving up so much by having this child. It will be tough and painful and I'm going to spend days wondering why I ever gave birth at all. But at the same time, I don't want to have a child one day and look at them and think 'I killed your big brother."_

_Chihiro listened as the woman sighed "That's just me. Some woman can't do it. And for the ones who honestly can't give up their lives, I think abortions are best. I mean…it's cruel to give birth to a child and then leave it to suffer just because the mother isn't adequate for the child."_

"_So how do you know your adequate."_

"_You don't, I guess it's down to this, do you think of it as a child? And if it is, do you love your baby? If you do, if I love this child more than anything else, then I'm sure I can derive my happiness form its happiness for the rest of my life."_

_Chihiro didn't know what to say. Then her stop came and she stood "Thank-you for that."_

"_No thank-you" said the woman "I needed to say that out loud to myself."_

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- _

**WOW, THAT WAS FUN. THIS CHAPTER WAS ORIGINALLY OVER 400 WORDS LONG SO I SPLIT IN IN HALF. SO THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BEGIN IN ITALICS BECAUSE ITS STILL PART OF THE FLASHBACK**

**PLEASE REVEIW AND I WILL PUT THE NEXT CHAPTER UP IN LESS THEN A WEEK. AND I'M NOT HOLDING CHAPTERS FOR RANSOM OR ANYTHING BUT I STILL WOULD LIKE AT LEAST FIVE OR MORE REVEIWS BEFORE I PUT THE CHAPTER UP. PLEASE?**


	9. Chapter 9

**I AM SOOOOO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT!**

**I WAS DOING FINAL EXAMS AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, MY TIME WAS SPENT PANICKING AND REVISING THAT I FORGOT TO PUT A NOTE ON THE STORY. **

**HERES THE NEXT CHAPTER**

**I don't own Spirited away**

**Chapter Nine**

_Chihiro couldn't put the words that woman said out of her mind. She wished with all her heart that he had just not asked anything, had and let the lady get on and off the train without a word being said between them. But at the same time, Chihiro felt like she needed to hear that. The woman didn't give her a sugar coated version of the truth. She told things plain and simple. And that was what Chihiro needed_

_But could she put a baby first?_

_What about Kohaku? Didn't he come first?_

_Chihiro voluntarily rubbed her stomach. She'd been doing a lot of thinking since then._

_Now she was in the hospital. There was a middle aged doctor in front of her reading her the rites of the abortion. But Chihiro wasn't really listening._

_This was it. Goodbye little troublesome thing. Goodbye baby. _

"_Ogino-san?"_

_When she didn't answer he repeated her name. "Huh? Oh, yes."_

"_Ogino-san, are you aware of the effects an abortion may have on the body?"_

"_Yes" she said, but in her mind, the woman's words still rang out. __**'I don't want to have a child one day and look at them and think 'I killed your big brother'**_

_Could she do that? She really was killing a child, it wasn't just an abortion. It was murder. But was it murder? After all, people didn't cry over every lost egg during a period. This wasn't a baby yet, it didn't have a heart of a brain and Chihiro truly believed that what made a baby more than cells was its ability to feel. But…_

_It was still her baby. It could be her baby. If she let it._

_Could she really give birth to Kohaku's child one day? Look at it and think about how she killed its older sibling, that she could easily kill it too. Could she become that kind of person?_

"_Ogino-san, are we ready?"_

_And then, for the first time, Chihiro saw it in her hands. A little baby. It might look like her rapist, but it could look like her too. A little girl or boy with grey eyes and her grandmothers smile. A pretty child. She could hear it calling her 'Mama'. _

_She could hear it screaming in agony as she killed it. And it could have just been hormones, but Chihiro almost cried. _

_Her baby in pain?_

_The woman was right, abortions may not be bad, but Chihiro still had a choice. She could decide to save the baby from a life of suffering, or she could choose to allow it life and give it a life, despite the suffering it may experience. Give it a chance. Could she do it?_

_She looked at her stomach and Chihiro couldn't explain it, but somehow, she knew. There was nothing magical, supernatural or dramatic about it. There was just a point in her life where she knew._

"_No" she whispered. She couldn't so it. "No, I'm sorry for taking up your time today. But I've decided to keep it."_

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- _

_The months after that just blurred together. Chihiro could barely remember the argument with her father, how he yelled and screamed about how she was a slut, and how she was making the biggest mistake of her life. That she should just get the damn abortion and be over and done with it. And perhaps it was just because she was a sentimental pregnant woman, but she was a little disgusted._

_If she had been conceived a bit too early, would her parents had killed her?_

_Because now that she was thinking clearly, that was the only thing that had happened. The poor thing had just come about too early, it wasn't its fault. And as far as Chihiro was concerned, her rapist didn't exist. This was her child and hers alone. _

_In the end her father kicked her out, despite her mother's pleading. _

_Chihiro didn't know where else to go, so she called upon her best friend Chiyo. Who wouldn't hear of her friend staying anywhere else. Chihiro was lucky to have a friend like that. _

_Chiyo had been there for Chihiro in ways no one else was. She was Chihiro's honorary mother and sister despite being younger. They used Chiyo's living expenses from her parents overseas, to pay for them both. They got a few part time jobs here and there with anyone who would take her. And through the entire time she grew more and more attached to her little baby the bigger it got. _

_Chiyo did all the research, bought all the vitamins and together they supplied for all of Chihiro's' cravings._

_They didn't want to know the gender; Chihiro wanted that to be a surprise._

_She still went to school, people eventually found out, and all the discrimination was there. But with Chiyo's help, Chihiro got through it. Though it wasn't easy. She broke down more than her few share of times and there were short bursts of depression, the kind that made you wonder why you did it and wish life was fair._

_She only took time off school in her final month because Chiyo insisted._

_It was in the second to final month when Chihiro's mother showed up. Begging Chihiro to come home. Saying that she talked to her father and he wanted her back too, and said that they could give the baby up for adoption._

_Chihiro wasn't hearing it; she wanted her child, with all the stress. This was her baby. She hadn't gone through all that stress just for someone else to raise her child. Chihiro was strong enough to do it._

_Her mother came round more and more trying to convince Chihiro and eventually Chihiro won. Her parents wanted her back if only to stop the scandal that was going around the neighbourhood and they were 'allowing' her to keep her child. They even said they were building the spare room up into a nursery._

_Then, on a day when her mother and father were both there at Chiyo's apartment discussing Chihiro's move back, her water broke._

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- _

_It was after many hours' worth of labour pains, gasping and screaming and Chihiro wondering why she had been stupid enough to actually keep the baby, before finally she heard it._

_Crying, sweet merciful crying so loud it stung, pulling something in her chest that made her want to gasp from the raw feeling of it._

"_Chiro-chan" Chiyo gasped from beside her as Chihiro squeezed her hand one more time and the placenta came out "It's here, it's here!"_

_After what felt like days, a bundle was finally pressed into Chihiro's arms and faintly she heard some nurse saying "Congratulations, it's a girl."_

_Chihiro only heard the 'girl' part_

_A girl! A beautiful baby girl. She looked down at the bundle and her heart melted._

_This was it. This was why she had done it all, this was the reason he had suffered so much._

_And she was perfect._

Tuffs of dark brown hair poked out from the blanket, tiny button nose, flush pink skin of a new-born and tiny fingers that curled and uncurled so delicately. She was so beautiful, Chihiro found herself crying again.

"_Hello sweetie" she choked. There weren't words that could put how she felt into context. She felt like she's been offered the world and been given the universe instead. That feeling of 'eureka' when everything made sense. That 'eudemonia' Aristotle was always harping on about._

_Her baby opened its eyes and to her shock, they were green. _

_Eyes so green it brought a new wave of tears._

_Was this Kohaku forgiving her?_

"_Chihiro?" Chiyo said as she bent down. In the birthing room Chihiro had only wanted Chiyo and her mother. Because when all was said and done, she was still her mother. _

_Chihiro looked up into her friends face and gasped "Look, green eyes."_

_Chiyo and Mrs Ogino, also known as Kaori, both looked into the child eyes and saw it. _

"_Well will you look at that" Kaori said, marvelling at the sight "There isn't anyone from outside of the family with green eyes; perhaps they're from the fathers side."_

_Chiyo glared at Kaori, angry at her audacity to bring up the rape at such a happy time. "Don't worry" Chiyo said knowing how desperate Chihiro was that the child looked like her and only her "Almost all new-born babies eyes change after a few weeks, I'll bet soon enough they'll fade to grey."_

"_No" Chihiro choked "She's perfect. Such pretty eyes." Chihiro was in love, her baby was so perfect. She cuddled it close and felt the baby's little head breathing softly down her neck as the softened strands of hair tickled her chin. Chihiro hadn't known such happiness existed, she was happier then she had ever been in years._

_And to think, she was going to kill this. She had actually considered an abortion. Horror filled her heart at the thought of someone harming the child in her hands. Her arms tightened around the bundle as if someone was going to rip her out of her arms any minute. No, never. She was never going to let anything happen to this girl._

"_So, where's the kid?" Chihiro's father, Yuuto, suddenly boomed as he entered the room. The loud noise began to make the baby fuss, but Chihiro hugged her close and rested its little downy head in the crook of her neck as she crooned softly. She felt it rub its little face against the skin of her neck, it tickled slightly and sent sensations up her neck, and Chihiro felt so maternal right then, like she was doing everything right. And at the sound of her voice, the baby calmed immediately. _

_Chihiro looked straight into her mother and fathers eyes and said "I'm keeping her. No matter what you say I won't give her up."_

_Chihiro's father grunted and tried to look uncaring but he glanced at the bundle and reluctantly nodded. Chihiro's mother saw the pure devotion in her daughter's eyes and sighed, "Alright dear. Just remember, you must come home and you must keep up with your studies" _

_Chihiro nodded. She was going to do that anyway, and frankly she didn't really want to go home. But she couldn't depend on Chiyo forever, it was only a matter of time till her parents found out they were paying for a pregnant woman as well as their daughter. She didn't want Chiyo to get in more trouble, and it wasn't Chiyo's responsibility to care for the two of them._

_Chihiro looked back at the baby who was looking up at her with such a calm look, as calm as a baby could, and knew what to call her. _

"_Morigawa" she whispered._

"_Huh? Said Chiyo "Didn't catch that."_

"_Her name is Morigawa." Mori meant forest. Because her eyes were as green as a forest. And Gawa, meaning river, in respect to the river spirit she loved. Because he was no longer the single most important thing in her life now. Chihiro had realised over the months that she couldn't spend any more time pining over Kohaku, waiting for them to meet again. She had responsibilities now. _

_And right now, Chihiro could honestly say that if even Kohaku himself had asked her to give up the little girl in her arms, she would have denied him a thousand times._

'_I'm sorry Kohaku" she though as she crooned to the baby 'she needs me more'_

_Her pretty little girl. Her Morigawa._

"Mama!"

Chihiro blinked as she was woken from her flashback down memory lane to see Morigawa pushing a slice of orange at her lips "Eat mama, its yummy!"

Chihiro smiled and opened her mouth to let the girl push the fruit and chewed "Mmmmm" she said, smacking her lips "Delicious" Morigawa smiled and munched on her fifth water melon slice.

The Chihiro from years past used to be an overcautious cry-baby, weak and pitiful she wasn't able to do anything by herself. Even in the spirit world people were always helping her. Haku was her support; she depended on others constantly for her wellbeing. Then she got pregnant and suddenly everything, changed, she had no choice but to grow up. And though she missed her lost childhood and sometimes, Chihiro would sit and beg for it back. But when she was done she would look at her daughter and realise it was still worth it.

Chihiro suddenly picked up Morigawa and placed her in her lap with the little girls back against her chest and crossed her arms over her comepleately as she buried her face in her brown curls. "I love you so much my baby" she said fondly.

Morigawa, a little confused nodded "Love you too mama." Suddenly she looked up at the sky and breather deeply "Eh? Smells like rain?"

Chihiro frowned and looked up "But it's still sunny out"

"It smells like rain. Autumn's coming Mama. Can I play in the leaves?" she smiled brightly.

Chihiro smiled and ruffled the child's hair "Sure"

**IM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. EXAMS ARE OVER SO I CAN WRITE MORE.**

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	10. Chapter 10

**NEW CHAPTER. DID YOU MISS ME?**

**THE TIME YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, IM GOING TO START INTRODUCING THE REUNION NOW. THEY'RE DONE BEING APART.**

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**I DON'T OWN SPIRETED AWAY.**

**CHAPTER TEN**

"Morigawa, did you finish your homework?"

Morigawa looked up from her place in the garden, spread out on her stomach with a text book laid out lazily in front of her. "Yes Grandmother" she said absently, turning the page.

"Mother, leave Mori-chan alone. Let her play if she wants to" Chihiro called from her seat on the patio as she looked up from her own homework. But although Chihiro often fretted, Morigawa actually enjoyed studying. Because it was all she knew. Since she was little it was her idea of fun.

Kaori sighed and held her hands on her waist "Really Chihiro, you're spoiling her. That child needs some direction."

Chihiro looked up "_My_ child has enough direction" she said as Kaori huffed and went back inside. Chihiro watched her for a moment before setting aside her book and following her inside. She needed to have some words with her mother anyway.

She found Kaori at the sink washing the dishes. Chihiro leant on the wall. "Mother, about the thing we were discussing last week?"

"What thing dear?"

"Don't pretend to be stupid mother" Chihiro rolled her eyes "You know what I'm talking about."

Kaori laughed as she dried her hands on a tea-towel "Oh dear, you're not still going on about that. Moving out on your own?"

"I think it's time mother" Chihiro insisted "Morigawa is already five years old, I have a stable job and a place at university. Morigawa is old enough to take care of her own basic needs. I think we need to set out on our own."

"And where will you live" Kaori said crossing her arms, drumming her finger nails on her bicep.

"I'll rent an apartment or something. I'm not saying now or next week. Just, soon. Maybe. I don't know, it's definitely part of the plan; I'm just letting you know Mother. This will be good for Morigawa."

"What would be best for Morigawa is for her to stay here, where she can be helped on her way in life. A talent like hers comes once every 1000 years, it's a waste to let it shrivel up and die like that. If she stays with you, you'll ruin her; pull her out of all her scholarships. I know you Chihiro."

"Maybe I will pull her out! And like I've always wanted, put her in a school filled with kids her age. But you wanted to send her away to a boarding school in Tokyo, so I settled for this." Chihiro said glaring "This is why we have to move! Morigawa is my daughter, she's _five_ years old! She deserves a childhood. I hate what you're doing to her. Her idea of fun is a textbook because that's all she knows. She can already read at a high school level, do complicated mathematics, play seven different instruments, what more do you want her to do! I know she's lonely, she wants friends. But she pretends not to, because she thinks it'll hurt me. _Me! _I'm her mother, I'm supposed to be protecting her from hurt, not the other way around."

"Chihiro, don't be such a drama queen." And then Kaori sighed "When did you get so wilful and spoilt? This all started when you were ten, and we moved. I thought moving back would make things better, then you went and got…"

Chihiro smiled "What mother, pregnant? Believe me, it wasn't my fault. And you're so quick to say it was a bad thing right after arguing about what a special girl Mori is. And actually mother, moving back then was the best and worst thing you could have ever done for me"

And then Chihiro turned and walked away. She hated arguing with her mother, because she never listened. It was a waste of breath and energy.

For two years since Morigawa took that IQ test, her mother became a work Mongol. Chihiro did love her mother, but there were many times where she felt she would have made a rather fine feudal lord.

Passing the glass patio she glanced out to see Morigawa tapping the window "Mama, Mama!"

"Yes Darling?"

"Can I go out to play?" she asked.

Chihiro smiled "Sure. You know, you're spending more and more time outside these days. Where are you going? Not too far I hope?"

"No" she chimed "Just down to the river"

Chihiro's blood froze. "The…river? W-what river would you mean?"

Morigawa tipped her head to the side innocently "The Kohaku River mama, why do you ask?"

Chihiro didn't know what to say.

"Mama, you're all pale!"

Morigawa's frightened voice woke her up from her trance.

"S-sorry, I was just thinking" she smiled "You know, I used to spend a lot of time at that river."

"Really!" Morigawa looked surprised "Why?"

This time Chihiro's smile was nostalgic as she said softly "I was waiting for someone."

"Waiting for someone? Who?"

Chihiro looked up towards the sky and remained quiet for a time before finally admitting "Someone I… loved very much?"

"Loved? You don't love him anymore?"

Chihiro was silent. Then she grinned and ruffled Morigawa's hair "That's a lot of questions for one afternoon. Run along and have fun. Comeback before the sun starts setting ok?" Chihiro was used to Morigawa going out. She didn't know why though. Most parents would feel agonised with worry if their children went out for as long as Morigawa did. But somehow, Chihiro never worried, she just had a feeling that Morigawa would be safe.

"Kay" Morigawa cried "Bye Mama." And scampered off out the back garden door.

Chihiro sank into the bench behind her sighing. "The Kohaku river, huh?"

Chihiro felt angry with herself. When she was younger and still idealistic, she would go to that river, the one that was restored. Chihiro had been so happy when she found out. She thought, 'Kohaku must be happy now' 'He's sure to come for me now' and so she waited. Of course he didn't come. After so many years, she told herself that she wouldn't pine over him anymore, and yet just hearing that name made her heart beat so fast, as she yearned to see him. It was times like this when she would suddenly wake up and realise in the deepest part of her heart that though she tried to pretend to be strong, she still loved him.

She clutched her heart and whispered "Kohaku"

No she couldn't let herself be weak, not for Morigawa. He probably forgot their promise, as a river spirit he was probably so old. A promise or a confession of love, they were probably nothing to a River God like him. She was nothing, and she was stupid for letting herself become so worked up.

Yet…

"Kohaku!" just for a little, while her mother and Morigawa was out and she was along, just a little, it might be ok to cry. Just a little. "Kohaku."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Haku-san!"

Kohaku opened his eyes. He was lying on his back on the banks of his river. From the corner of his eye he saw a child racing towards him. Then he realised who it was and smiled "Morigawa, why am I not surprised you came today? Are you following me?"

She was dressed casually with her long brown hair in pigtails as she giggled childishly "No I'm not, we just keep meeting. Kinda like fate, huh? Maybe we were destined to be friends?"

Children were cute. This was something Haku had recently decided. Which was strange because he usually thought nothing of children, especially human children. Yet something about this Child felt Comfortable. On second thought, it was only Morigawa that was cute.

"Can I sit there too?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Do as you wish" he said and she yipped and lay back beside him.

"What are you doing?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm giving the River my Chi Energy?"

She blinked and turned her head to him "Huh? How do you do that?"

"I simply lie here and channel it through the ground and into the river. It's very simple. And as for why I do it, it's because it's my duty."

"Your duty?"

"Yes." He smiled. She was being rather talkative today, usually she silently dipped her feet in the river or read a book on the sunny banks or recently she would practice for her choir performance with him as a mock judgmental audience. It had been the first time Kohaku had 'played' in many…many years. At first he thought he wouldn't remember how, and then it came so naturally.

"Haku-san, you're not human, are you?"

That question of hers surprised him. For a moment, Kohaku didn't know what to say. "No, I'm not" he finally said, deciding to be honest, since lying to an intelligent child seemed a stupid thing to do.

Morigawa grinned "I knew it. There's just something about you that's different. You're not human. No human has a presence like yours."

He opened on eye curiously "Oh? What kind of presence?"

"Well…it's like…like…calm and peaceful and…" she struggled to come up with an answer before suddenly light flooded her eyes "I know! Haku-san is like the river. You're really calm and level but then you can get sly and smart. You have a powerful and important presence that you just can't ignore, but it's not overpowering or anything, it's like…graceful I suppose and…yeah…"

Kohaku blinked and stared at her before saying finally "You are a very perceptive little girl, you know that." Really, of all things to compare a river spirit to, she chose a river without any prompting, just from his personality. Very perceptive.

She smiled gleefully "Thanks, Mama says that too." Sitting up, Morigawa stretched out catlike "Hay, Haku-san?"

"Hm?"

"Can I try doing that too, give the river energy I mean?"

Kohaku opened his eyes and sat up suddenly "What, why?"

She shrugged "I don't actually know, I just…feel I should" she laughed "Then again, I do spend a lot of time here, I should give something back. And I might not be able to do it?"

Kohaku looked at her. It was rare a human to be selfless. But Morigawa often surprised him. He really wasn't supposed to be saying this, but for some reason he didn't care.

"Not most humans can do this. Human energy is very base; it's a little difficult for most to give it away. But some with extra psychic abilities find they can to an extent. Why not?" he took her hands and tipped it in the water"I do this instinctively, so I'm not exactly sure how to instruct a person in how it happens but…" Kohaku trailed off as he realised what was happening.

A steady stream of energy was being directed towards the river…no…the river was _pulling_ the energy from her. After a few moments he cut the connection off forcefully "Stop. Doing this for too long will exhaust you."

Morigawa blinked "Huh? Was I doing it, I feel fine?" she said a little confused.

Kohaku couldn't understand, she didn't realise it? And how was she able to provide so much energy for so long without being tired, especially with that child's body.

"Hm" he laughed "I've heard of some humans having very nature in-tune energies. It seems you are one of them."

"Really" she cried "Is that a good thing?"

"In this case it is" he said lying back down "The river accepted you easily, I think it likes you. Your welcome to try again when you want, just make sure I'm with you. Don't do this on your own."

"Yey!" she smiled joyfully

But Kohaku was uneasy. To think a human had such compatible river energy, the coincidence was too great. Perhaps she was right, perhaps it was fate.

He glanced over at her. Morigawa was too mature for a child of her human years, and too beautiful. When you looked at her like this, calmly on the river bank, she looked older; there was something in her eyes and her manner that showed her adult soul. And something about her made him a little protective, it was as if he wished she could stay a child a little longer. Perhaps it had to do with that niggling feeling in back of his mind that screamed how familiar she was, yet for the life of hi Kohaku could place it.

But she knew he wasn't human from his manner alone.

Something in the air changed, Kohaku looked up and sniffed "Smells like rain" **"Smells like rain"** two voiced chimed.

Morigawa rubbed her eyes "Oh you think so too Haku-san? Autumns coming!"

'_Morigawa, who are you?'_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Meanwhile in the town high school, a very pretty girl with long black hair sat on the piano with her legs crossed and her short skirt riding up her thighs in the school music room, surrounded by guys.

"Why did you all us here Mei-chan"

Mei looked up at her fans; there were always perks to being pretty.

She'd just found out that the solo was given to that little brat of a genius Ogino.

Mei hated Ogino Morigawa. Little Bastard.

Before she came here, Mei was the smartest, most beautiful, most popular girl in the school. All the teachers clamoured to teach her, the one most likely to get a scholarship to Tokyo Uni, there wasn't anything she couldn't get away with, musically inclined with the voice of an angel, everyone's favourite. Then that brat transferred and everything changed.

The whole world became about that genius five-year old. Intelligent, sporty and she played more instruments than Mei. Even as a five year old everyone was constantly gushing about how pretty she was or would be when she grew up with those foreign eyes. Teachers didn't care about her anymore, everything was 'Ogino-san this' and 'Ogino-san that'.

Before when Mei kicked up a fuss in the music room everyone would beg her to reconsider, now so easily its 'never mind, at least we have Ogino-san' and Mei was sick of it!

The bullying that brat had been experiencing up till now was child's play. Like cutting her shoes on a hot day, stealing her things and dumping them in the bin, leaving her to clean up the classroom all on her own. Mei had just been going easy on her because she was a child. But now, Mei was annoyed.

She smiled maliciously "Boys, there's someone I want you to deal with. If possible, I want permanent damage."

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	11. Chapter 11

**FOUR NEW REVEIWS ALREADY! YOU GUYS MAKE ME SO HAPPY. REALLY, THIS ISNT JUST A CORNEY LINE BEFORE A CHAPTER TO BREAK THE ICE. EACH REVIEW IS A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. YOU ALL MAKE WRITING WORTH IT AND FUN. NE OF THE THINGS I THINK ABOUT THE MOST WHEN WRITING IS HOW WILLIT AFFECT MY READERS, WILL THEY LIKE IT, SHOULD I CHANGE THIS OR ADD IT LATER FOR GREATER IMPACT WHEN I USED TOJUST PUT EVERYTHING DOWN REGUARLESS. YOU ALL HELPED ME SO MUCH, THANKS FOR NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY, I PLAN TO FOCUS SOULY ON THIS FOR A LONG WHILE.**

**BY THE WAY. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IM DYSLEXIC, SO I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH TYPE-O'S. IM LOKING FOR A BETA WHO CAN READ THROUGH AND FIX THE STORY WITH ME. IS ANYONE WILLING TO HELP? YOU GET TO BE THE FIRST TO SEE THE CHAPTER AND THE JOY OF HAVING A CHAPTER OUT WITHOUT ANY TYPE-O'S?**

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**I DON'T OWN SPIRETED AWAY.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Something didn't feel right.

That day when Morigawa came to school, she couldn't shake away the feeling of unease that had settled upon her. Something nagged and pulled at her subconscious, almost like a sixth sense.

She greeted the class in the morning, and as per usual no one replied. But what was different was instead of ignoring her and adverting their eyes; everyone stared at her with pitying looks. Morigawa was used to those kinds of expressions from old ladies and teachers, but she didn't know why she was receiving them now.

The teacher was the same though, no change there. But today when she was called on for the eighth time, no one booed, groaned or made a noise. Instead they listened politely.

That actually made Morigawa happy. Perhaps people were finally getting used to her? Maybe she could finally become friends with everyone? So for the rest of the morning, Morigawa wore a big smile on her face. Strangely, that only made the pitying looks worsened.

Then at break, someone from her class that Morigawa had never spoken to before approached her. "U-um…Ogino-san" she seemed to be having trouble getting the words out "I heard you got the solo in the school choir?"

Morigawa was delighted, was everyone being so nice to her because of this, if she had only know she would have joined the choir long ago. "Yep" she chimed.

But the girl only looked nervous "Umm…Mei-Chan's solo?"

"Yes" she said, still happy.

The girl twitched before taking Morigawa's hand "I don't really like you Ogino-san, not often, but please be carfu—" but before she could finish, another girl came over and dragged her away.

Despite this, Morigawa was in a pretty pleasant mood the rest of the day.

Choir practice came and she sand with the rest. Mei-chan didn't turn up, but Morigawa wasn't complaining. She didn't want Mei to get angry. Morigawa wasn't good with angry people; she just never knew what to do.

She tried her best and the teacher said her voice was beautiful. She even played the Shimaisen, and the piano for everyone a little and for the first time, Morigawa felt apart of something.

And yet that feeling wouldn't go away.

It was late when practice finally finished. The sun was already going down. Morigawa was a little afraid of the dark, but there was no other way of getting home because her Mama had a big exam today and Grandmother and Grandfather were at a garden convention. So she was going to be alone today…again.

The thought was a little sad. For so long, being alone waiting for everyone never bothered Morigawa. But that was before when she had no friends, and she didn't know how much fun it was to be with someone. Now she had Haku-san, and when she was along…she was lonely.

The streetlights shone like fireflies in the night. Everyone had gone home to watch a big soccer game playing, or they were at bingo or night school. Only a few people were out now.

Morigawa felt the tingling, uncomfortable feeling in her stomach grow, she felt ill. And scared.

Suddenly she felt someone behind her. Glancing n the window of a car, Mori saw some teenage boys walking behind her.

At first she thought nothing of it, but then when she changed rods and they followed her, she began to her paranoid. Then two more showed up and the feeling grew, like a warning bell in her chest.

She swallowed and tried to go faster.

They also went faster.

Who were they, perverts? Kidnappers? Aliens?

Morigawa couldn't think of a reason why anyone would want to follow her; she hadn't done anything to anyone!

The forest was approaching. Somehow the sight of it made her feel safe though she hated the dark, maybe if she ran further into it, she could find a place to hide. But then she felt someone grab her arm "Hey, Hey little miss. Where are you going so fast?"

They really were following her! But maybe he was nice? Maybe they thought she was lost?

"I'm going home" she said "And I'm not lost, so please can you let go?"

They laughed and to her shock, started dragging her further into the forest despite her struggles. "Sorry kid, we don't usually do these things to little kids, but you pissed off the wrong person. Besides, you don't act like a kid, so it's ok."

W-what! "I don't understand" then she screamed as she felt someone kick her in the back of the legs. In all her life of hardships, Morigawa had never, not once been hit. And now her leg felt like it was on fire.

But it didn't stop there. Someone hoisted her up by her collar and slapped her in the face, Morigawa saw lights, her eyes stung and her face felt life someone had ripped it open with a knife.

The beatings continued, starting soft and getting harder. They aimed for her joints. No matter how she screamed, no matter how she cried and begged they kept at it. Mercilessly beating her. What made it worse was they were doing this in her forest. They were hurting her in one of the few places where she had ever truly felt safe. It was worse than rape.

"W-why?" she at one point managed to pant.

One guy, who looked a little sorry for her answered "There's just somebody out there who hated you. Kids should learn their place. But let me tell you one thing, you shouldn't have ticked of the person that solo belonged to."

So that was it. Mei-san was doing this? But why? What had she done to deserve this? And was that why everyone was being nice earlier. Did they know? Hey knew Mei would retaliate and didn't say anything?

"Hey, it was piano right, that's why Mei hated her, or was it singing?" someone said "anyway let's just break her am and call it a night."

Break her arm? "N-n-no!" she gasped and tried to crawl away. Her legs hurt. But strangely, despite the beating, she actually managed to stand. She had to get away.

Unfortunately, they noticed her stamina. "She's tough" one whistled "If we wanna get paid, we're gonna have to be tough." And then something wacked into her arm. A wooden pole.

Morigawa felt blood trickling down from where the splintered wood ripped into her arm.

Someone pressed her to the ground, a hand at her throat choked her. "Got the video camera ready?" he called to his friend. Then he stared to rip at her cloths.

Morigawa wasn't stupid, she was a genius. And she wasn't going to let this happen.

She scratched and scrabbles at his hand, but her puny strength, and blunt human nails did nothing.

"Mama! Mama Mama Mama MAMA!" she cried desperately. The boys laughed, how could they be so cruel, so evil. You saw news stories about teenage boys doing these kinds of things to even children all the time, but you never though it wold happen to you.

_Someone…help! _But the only other person she could think of was "Haku!" she cried "Haku, Haku, HAKU!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. Haku's river was only a little ahead, if she could just get there, maybe he would protect her? No, he would definitely be there, and he would save her.

"Hey, there's a river near here isn't there?"

"Let's dunk her in it and see how long she can hold her breath."

Morigawa scratched at his hand at her throat in vain. Remembering the sharpened nails of Haku-san she cried even more. '_I wish I had claws'_

Suddenly the boy yelped in pain as he pulled back. Morigawa didn't know what had happened but it was all she needed to get away. Adrenaline pumped though her veins, pushing her forward despite the pain in her head and body as she stumbled towards Haku's river '_Haku-san, help!'_

Meanwhile the boys surrounded the one who had yelled, shocked at the five deep holes gorged into his wrist as blood trickled down his arm. "That little bitch's gonna pay"

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

'_**Haku-san, help!'**_

Kohaku didn't know where the voice had come from, but when he heard it desperately echoing though his mind, he knew who it was immediately.

"Morigawa!" he stood suddenly. On days like this, during a full moon, he often spent the whole night at the river replenishing energy.

But this was unexpected.

More than the fact that he was now hearing a human child's voice in his mind, it was the fear and panic in her voice that startled him.

What was happening?

"Morigawa" he called.

Was she here? He could feel her presence, but it was agitated and weak. Why was her energy so weak!

Then he saw her, she stumbled though the bushes and fell in a heap on the ground.

She was bloodied and beaten. Bruises covered almost the entirety of her body and her arm hung in an unnatural angle by her waist, the purple bruise near her forehead was worrying and her cloths were ripped.

She looked up at him panting; her little face stained with tears as she sobbed brokenly, her body trembled "H-Haku!"

Then she collapsed, unable to do more.

"Morigawa!" he cried and rushed ford to bundle her in his arms. Her body was so fragile, like someone had taken a doll and slammed it repeatedly into the wall. "Morigawa don't sleep" he commanded in his most authoritative tone of voice, and yet he was trembling, why was _he_ trembling?

She opened her eyes, almost swollen shut and Kohaku felt something break in his chest. How could this have happened? She was fine just a few days ago. Joking pleasantly with him and laughing, why was she like this now? "Morigawa, don't sleep, tell me what happened."

She said nothing, just looked up and smiled weakly. Then gasped "Y-you're here. I knew you would be. You'll keep me…safe, won't you?" and then she fainted.

Kohaku felt frantic, his whole body was trembling. She'd come here, not even knowing is h would be here to protect her. With simple trust she just sought him out. He held her body close, burying his head in her curls; even her earthen scent was weak.

Water! he had to get her to the water. As a river spirit of his power level, he could heal injuries, but only in the water.

She was so broken. A little child like this. His Morigawa.7

Who did this?

Then the bushes shook and four teen boys filed out, a wooden plan was held in one's hand, traces of blood still stained. Her blood.

Then Kohaku realised why he was trembling. It was fury. How dare someone harm what he had come to see as his. Because Morigawa, in a strange way, was his. She trusted him and loved him, and Haku felt that her pure feelings weren't unreciprocated.

"Did you do this" he said softly.

The boys finally noticed the two of them and one with brown hair smirked "So this is where she went. Guy, we don't have any problems with you, so quit trying to play hero and run off."

"Idiot" another snapped "He'll tell the cops!"

"I said_, did you do this?" _Though he wasn't speaking loudly, even Kohaku was surprised at the tone of his own voice; he had never spoken with such ice before in his life. He sounded like he was protecting a hatchling.

In a way, Morigawa did feel like the closest thing to one. The thought only made him more furious.

The boys etched back. All their bravado fell away. They were amateurs, not hardened thugs. Beating on a five year old made them feel tough.

But as Kohaku stood, cradling Morigawa's body to his chest, he could feel how shallow her breathing was. 'I don't I have time for this. I need to get her in the river'

"How dare you come here" he said his voice like steel "Vile scum don't deserve to walk along these banks. This isn't a place for you. Now answer me, did you do this?"

They were struck dumb.

Kohaku raised his arm, ready to do serious harm, when suddenly he felt something grab his sleeve.

"Morigawa?"

Her eyes were swollen but she peeked through them "N-no…don't."

Was she an idiot? Didn't she want revenge? He was so angry, Kohaku couldn't remember the last time he was this angry, they had to suffer.

"Please" she whispered "H-Haku-san isn't a bad person. I don't want to see you doing these things." She buried her face into his hakama "Please just make them go away."

And then the strangest thing happened. All of Kohaku's anger just melted away. He stared in disbelief before breaking out into laughter. Of course, was there anything less to expect from Morigawa? She was thinking on a level completely different from anyone else. She was too gentle and kind for her own good. But that was why she had become so fond of her.

He looked at the boys "You are all very lucky" raising his arm, he said "You will find the first person of high authority you see and confess to your crimes." He said, adding his influence to make sure they would obey. In the morning, they would remember noting of him in specific, just the overwhelming compulsion to confess. "No leave!" and they filed out.

Truthfully, Kohaku hated to see them go, but Morigawa had fainted again, and her chest was barely moving. "Morigawa don't go to sleep!" he commanded.

Morigawa lay still in his arms.

Hurriedly he turned to the river.

If she died, then those boys would die also

**FINISHED!**

**THREE CHAPTERS JUST ONE AFTER THE OTHER, NEW RECORD!**

**BUT PLEASE STILL REVIEW. I REALLY LOVE HEARING FROM YOU GUYS. AND IF THE REVIEW NUMBER GOES UP, THEN MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO READ THE STORY.**

**SO PLEASE REVIEW!**

**THE MEETING IS NEXT!**

**YOU KNOW WHO IM TALKING ABOUT…**

**REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**SORRY I TOOK SO LONG, I PUT EXTRA THOUGHT INTOHOW I WAS GOING TO WRITE THIS CHATER AND I WAS FIXING UP MY BROTHERS NEW ROOM. PLEASE REVIEW**

**I DON'T OWN SPIRETED AWAY.**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_A now fifteen year old Chihiro sat uncomfortably on a sofa in the corner of the room with a little glass of alcohol in her hand. It was her fifteenth birthday and her friend Yumiko was holding a party that was half for Chihiro, half for the pure sake of holding a party. Which was why there were so many people she didn't know here, most of them were boys. They were at Yumiko's place since her father was out for a few days on business. Chihiro at first didn't want to come, but her best friend Chiyo had insisted._

_In the end Chihiro agreed, it was better than sitting home alone, miserable and depressed, haunted by the memories of the bathhouse and a boy with green eyes. _

"_Chihiro-chan" Chihiro looked up into the onyx eyes of Yumiko "Drink up, it's your birthday and you look so miserable"_

"_I'm sorry Yumi-chan, I guess I just don't feel in a party mood."_

_Yumi took the glass in Chihiro's hands and quickly thrust it up to her lips; Chihiro was so surprised she drank the bitter liquid in one gulp, choking and spluttering after as Yumiko laughed, obviously drunk. "You're funny, you know what you need. A little attention from the opposite sex. Wait there." And she was gone._

_Really, Chihiro didn't want any attention from boys. She had already been asked out many times, but she was saving herself for Kohaku…who probably was never coming. Chihiro was suddenly hit with a panging sense of loneliness. 'I want to see him, even if it's a dream, I want to see him'_

_Yumiko had returned with someone of the opposite sex. A man of eighteen. _

_He was handsome in a way, with dyed brown hair and dark green eyes. His eyes were nothing like Kohaku's, they paled in comparison and looking at them made her miss him all the more. But even so, she was polite and chatted with him. His name was Narumiya Yosuke, and he worked at a supermarket part time. Talking with him was pleasant, or perhaps it was all the alcohol she was drinking._

_Chihiro decided that she liked alcohol, once she got past the bitter taste; it made her feel light and bubbly. The pain was going away fast, like some kind of fluffy dream._

_Narumiya-san asked her to dance, and when she did, Chihiro couldn't help but think about the way Kohaku's serpentine body twisted in the sky and matched her dancing to that level. Narumiya was saying something, something about her being sexy, but Chihiro wasn't listening. In her mind, Kohaku was dancing with her._

_Kohaku…_

_Her heart hurt. _

_Her head hurt._

"_Narumiya-san, I'm sorry but I think I want to go home, I'm horribly drunk and I…" she trailed off, though considering how drunk he felt, it was miracle she could still think in a somewhat coherent way. She wanted to go home and cry in her pillow, she missed Kohaku so much and the alcohol was suddenly turning on her, magnifying her pain and making it worse. She wanted to cry._

"_Ok, I'll take you home" he said kindly._

"_Really? You don't have to; Chiyo-chan can walk me…"_

"_I insist, what kind of man I would be if I let a drunk girl go home alone?"_

_Perhaps accepting his offer wasn't the wisest thing to do, but right now, Chihiro wasn't thinking wise, she was thinking 'I wanna go home and cry, I feel miserable' and so she said yes._

_The cold air hit her as she walked, her skirt was to her knees and she wore strappy sandals and a turquoise tank-top. Chihiro had taken to wearing blues and greens in the past five years._

_Narumiya-san was waking really close and Chihiro was beginning to loose count of where she was. Until she realised she wasn't anywhere near her house. In fact, it looked remarkably like a dark alleyway._

"_Hey, Narumiya-san, this isn't my house. Where am I?"_

_Narumiya put his hand on her shoulder, his grip was tight and it hurt. Chihiro was starting to get scared. "Narumiya-san, Please, I want to go home by myself, so you can…"_

_His grip tightened and he smiled grimly "You're such a tease, you know that?"_

"_Huh?" Chihiro was genuinely surprised at his words and the change of tone. She may be drink, but she wasn't that drunk. Suddenly she was very scared. She ripped her shoulder from his hand and elbowed him in the ribs. When he buckled over she tried to run, but his hand grabbed her hard and yanked at her neck. She cried out in pain as he pushed her to the dirty ground and straddled her waist, holding her hands above her._

"_Dirty Whore, you're such a cock tease, showing that much skin and flirting all night, you wanted this, admit it."_

_No! She did not want this, she wanted anything but this. Even facing Yubaba again seemed like a better idea._

_His hand slipped under her woollen tank and bra and groped her breast as he trusted his engorged erection against her centre. She felt his rough tongue licking and sucking clumsily on the skin of her neck. Chihiro felt physically ill, she screamed and screamed but quickly his hand slapped her around the face so hard she could taste blood in her mouth. "Shut up, no one can hear you anyway, scream as much as you like, no one cares." And he twisted her arms so he could hold them and cover her mouth too. Chihiro heard as she started unfastening the zipper on his trousers._

_No! Anything but that. This wasn't his to take; it was Kohaku's, only Kohaku was allowed to touch her. _

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Chihiro was going out of her mind.

Her exam finished an hour ago and Morigawa still wasn't back yet. She searched the whole house frantically and then hit the town to search. She called the police but no one picked up. When she went to check it was closed…closed!

How could they be closed!

She banged on all the neighbours doors, demanding any information they might have on her daughters whereabouts.

Some only looked at her with their own usual disgust, the teenage mom couldn't keep control of her brat and it was already going to the gutter, and slammed the door in her face.

But others were affronted by her mother-tiger look of desperate worry, or moved by the current of tears flowing unashamedly down her face and kindly said they didn't know anything.

It had now been two hours.

Chihiro couldn't get a hold of her parents either. It seemed that in her time of greatest need, everyone had abandoned her.

Running down the temple steps, skipping two at a time she suddenly tripped and went tumbling down.

Her body screed in pain and blood dribbled down her leg, but Chihiro couldn't care. She wanted her baby.

It wasn't just her being missing that was agitating her so. Chihiro couldn't shake away a terrible feeling in her heart. She just knew her child was hurt somewhere and no one could tell her otherwise. She had to find her!

"Morigawa!" she screamed, as if the child were only hiding in the bushes.

Suddenly Chihiro remembered.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Kohaku gently placed Morigawa into the water, holding her just above water level so she could breath. The coming autumn chilled the water ice-cold, and the rough temperature caused her to twitch in pain. But nothing could be done; Kohaku needed the river as a medium for his powers.

Morigawa was just a child, and her body had taken a lot of damage, it was a miracle that she had managed to last so long. She was strangely sturdy for one so young. Although now, Kohaku wasn't complaining.

Morigawa moaned and grimaced "Mama, it hurts. I want my Mama!"

Her mother! Morigawa's mother! She needed to know her daughter was here.

"Mama, Mama" Morigawa was crying again and struggling.

"Please be still" Kohaku encouraged "I can't do this if you're moving."

"I want my Mama!" Morigawa insisted. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she had been reduced to what she truly was. A little girl who wanted her mother.

"I'm sorry" was all he could say.

But Kohaku couldn't get her mother. Apart from Chihiro and Morigawa he wouldn't, couldn't allow any human to see him or remember him, it was against the rules. They were the only exceptions. Chihiro was his mate, Morigawa could see spirits in the human world.

And even if he could break the rules, he couldn't go beyond his river. Only when it rained could he meld with the rainwater and search though the human wold for Chihiro. But apart from that, he was bound to his river or to the spirit world.

He tried to place her further into the water, but she gripped his hakama "No! Don't leave me! I don't wanna be alone!"

She said it in such a way, that Kohaku was suddenly filled with such a sense of nostalgia as the situation reflected one where Chihiro was reluctant for him to leave her. The two females were so similar. They looked so alike. Her brown hair, her round cheeks, her big eyes were green instead of grey but that was the only difference.

His fragile little Morigawa.

Kohaku lost Chihiro, he wasn't going to lose Morigawa

Eventually, the chi he was channelling through the water became too much for her in her condition. Spirit energy and human energy were just too different, Morigawa had quite an affinity towards it, but in the end, her energy was still human. She succumbed to his power and fell into a resting sleep.

Now the hard part.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

The River, the Kohaku River! Hadn't Morigawa said she'd been spending a lot of time near there? What is she took a detour and someone thugs jumped her there? There were news stories of teenage boys harassing people for money or fun, even going as far as to attack children.

Chihiro's heart hurt at the idea of her baby lying beaten somewhere. She prayed to any deity that could hear her for her daughter's safety before standing and running off.

It had been years since she'd been to the Kohaku River, not since she had gotten pregnant and decided to put her focus in Morigawa. Then she realised that she still loved him and it became painful to go there. But now she was desperately running with all her strength to find the place her daughter might be at.

The trees seemed to open a path for her. Chihiro continued to run till something caught her eye that almost made her break down completely; blood on the ground.

No, no, no, NO! she wasn't going to let herself think like that. That it could be…

No!

She pushed her way through the thicket; it had been so long, she almost couldn't remember the way. But then it all became familiar again.

Something was building in her chest, a kind of anticipation.

She didn't notice the kanji glowing softly on the back of her hand.

Chihiro reached the place where the trees started thinning. Everything looked like it had been wacked by a pole or something. It was only making her more and more nervous.

What she saw made her stop in absolute shock.

She almost collapsed to the ground; it was with all her strength that she manages to remain standing.

"K-Kohaku?"

It want possible. This was a dream. She had so many dreams like this, and this was one of many.

She was dreaming that he was standing there in the middle of the river, with his back to her. Then as she said his name, his entire body stiffened and slowly turned. He was wearing a dark blue Yukata, his jet black hair was longer and tied back with a dark green string. He looked similar to her last dream. His eyes were so familiar, it felt so real.

"Kohaku!"

His whole face displayed his shock, his own disbelief. "Chihiro…"

He stared at her with awestruck shock, then glanced at Morigawa and then back at Chihiro "No…it can't be…"

But before she could fully take in this dream, something of greater importance caught her eye.

In the river, in a cocoon of water gently enveloping her was her child Morigawa.

"No!" she screamed and tried to run over. Morigawa was cocooned in water, she was going to drown. She couldn't swim.

"Morigawa!" Chihiro splashed into the river, the icy water stung her feel like white hot flames yet she paid them no heed. She tried to reach out to her daughter but Kohaku quickly grabbed her from behind and held onto her arms, pulling her back "No Chihiro, you mustn't touch her."

In the back of her mind, Chihiro was aware that her long awaited Kohaku was really here, holding her. She should be jumping for joy, or feeling furious, feeling _something! _

And yet it was like an out-of-body experience. All she could see and think about was her precious little girl bloodied and bruised in the water. "She can't swim" she said feebly "I have to get to her, I have to get her to a hospital!"

"If you take her from there her injuries will collapse" he whispered in her ear "Chihiro, please trust me."

In the end it was the tone of his voice that did it. Warm, stern and comforting, he knew what he was doing. It was the same tone he used on a terrified little girl whose parents had just been turned into pigs, a tone that made her put all her trust in him.

Despite her frantic heart, Chihiro felt herself sinking into his embrace "What happened?"

"She was beaten" Kohaku said softly "I have already punished the ones who have done this, but now I am trying to heal her. Morigawa is fortunate to have a very compatible aurora with mine, so I am trying to channel my chi though her. The water isn't hurting her Chihiro, I promise, I'm only using it as a medium."

As he was saying this, Chihiro noticed a dark purple bruise on Morigawa's cheek lighten and fade away slowly before her eyes. The water really was healing her.

She turned and took his hands in hers, pressing her lips to them in thanks "Thank you Kohaku, I don't know how I could ever re-pay you."

Kohaku said nothing; he just looked at Chihiro with intense green eyes. "Chihiro, who is she?"

This was it, the moment Chihiro had silently been dreading. How would he react? Would he be angry, disappointed, forgiving? There was only on way to find out and Chihiro had to do it now before she lost her nerve.

"She's my daughter."

**PLEASE REVIEW**

**THESE ARE THE IMPORTANT CHAPTERS WHERE EVERYTHING TAKES A TURN IN ANOTHER DIRECTION, SO IM PUTTING MORE THOUGHT AND TIME INTO THEM BECAUSE IM NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHATS ABOUT TO HAPPEN NEXT…HEY! IM JUST WINGING IT HERE.I HAVE A BASIC IDEA OF WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN, JUST NO CLUE HOW IM GOING TO GET THERE.**

**PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU THINK KOHAKU SHOULD BE ANGRY OR FORGIVING, IM CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK**


	13. Chapter 13

**i dont own spirited away. Please reveiw**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Kohaku said nothing after that, but Chihiro couldn't forget the way his eyes had clouded over as his serious mask was slipped on without a second more to lose. He continued healing Morigawa despite the revelation, in fact the only time his expression changed was when the child flinched in pain, to which he mirrored her flinch. Chihiro didn't know how Kohaku knew Morigawa but she couldn't deny how it warmed her heart to see him so attentive.

She only hoped his gentleness wouldn't disappear now that he knew Morigawa was the result of her breaking her promise.

When Morigawa was finally healed, Chihiro still insisted on a hospital check-up. However, the doctors reported no internal injuries or problems other than being absolutely exhausted. They were a little curious as to how that happened but Chihiro had no answer because she didn't know. All she knew was that her baby was beaten but Kohaku had not yet told her who.

She too her daughter home and put her to bed, since she was too tired to eat and Chihiro didn't have the heart to wake her.

And when Morigawa was settled, the worries began to settle.

Kohaku.

After nine years of waiting, he was finally here, but he was too late.

Chihiro didn't know what to feel. At the time she had been so concentrated on Morigawa that Kohaku had been in the farthest part of her mind, proving to Chihiro where Morigawa was on her list of priorities.

But dammit, her heart told her that she still loved him. It was ridiculous and completely unrealistic. You read about things, loving someone so deeply across a long period of time, only in books. This didn't happen in real life. But then, in real life, little girls and their families weren't supposed to be spirited away either. People didn't turn into pigs, babies didn't turn into mice and boys didn't turn into dragons.

She closed her eyes and pictured him; he looked exactly how she always imagined.

He was always the taller of the two, but now he towered over her. His hands were so big; her fingers were half of what his were. His eyes were still gentle, and his voice remained unchanged, still with the ability to calm her no matter how agitated she was, comforting her in his own way.

Just like that time when he took her to see her parents as pigs and gave her the rice balls to eat. Telling her he put a spell on it to give her back her strength, Chihiro had known that he was lying but his hand on her shoulder and his kindness was real.

She could still feel the imprint of his hand on her shoulders, the feeling of his fingers when she kissed them in thanks.

She desperately wanted to see him again, but she couldn't bear to see condemnation in his eyes. She could accept it fro, anyone else, even her friends, but not him. She loved him that much.

* * *

Kohaku stared down at his hands. The hands she had kissed.

_Chihiro_

Morigawa was her daughter.

He was still processing this thought.

This explained everything, why she'd been so familiar, she had Chihiro's face. Why he'd been so comfortable in her presence. Why Morigawa's _scent _had been so familiar and yet different, it was a mix of Chihiro's scent and the scent of Morigawa's supposed father.

He growled.

He hated the idea of another male touching his mate. Chihiro was his, marked from when she was ten years old. How dare another touch her. How could she _let_ another touch her?

He felt betrayed. And yet his blood still called for her, he was so happy. A part of him was so deliriously happy to see her again, he wanted to laugh. But that only made the feeling of betrayal more painful. His hand unknowingly clenched, now who to use it on?

Chihiro? No, never Chihiro, he felt disgusted that the thought had even crossed his mind. She was still his precious. No matter what. Then who?

Morigawa's father? Yes, that seemed like a plan, he'd be the target for Kohaku's wrath.

That was for later though; now he needed to think. Kohaku forced his anger to still and subside. Years of working with Yubaba's erratic tendencies had taught him patience and a clear mind was key in any problematic situation.

He felt his anger slipping away and felt his mind return to him.

How he could be angry at Chihiro, he thought after he'd calmed down. Kohaku had made her wait for so many years, and time to a human was so much more different when compared to how time was viewed by a spirit. Five years felt like five months to most spirits. To a human it felt like thousands.

Obviously she'd be fed up waiting.

Kohaku sighed. He loved Chihiro; Kohaku couldn't stand the idea of her being unhappy. She deserved so much more than him; it was just her misfortune that he loved her. Chihiro was human; she could have anyone she wanted. But to Kohaku, Chihiro was it, his only. And that wasn't her fault.

Hadn't he always sworn that he would protect and love her no matter her feelings; even if she loved another he would be by her side? He realised the one he should be hitting wasn't anyone but himself. It was his fault. Wasn't he being selfish thinking so high of himself?

She was so beautiful.

She'd changed from the child he knew. The one he saved from the river and the one he saved from the clutched of Yubaba. She wasn't the little girl he knew, the one who cried and begged him not to leave her alone; she was a mother now.

He remembered how she had thrown herself into the river, that glorious fury in her eyes at the idea that someone had hurt her child.

Her long brown hair, grey eyes focused fiercely on Morigawa. Whimpering "She can't swim."

She was a mother.

Didn't she deserve happiness of a child and a family?

Then Kohaku thought, did she have a family?

If his knowledge of human years was correct, wasn't Chihiro nineteen? And Morigawa was five. Chihiro was too young to have a child.

"_Do you...think it's a bad thing to have a child at fourteen"_

Morigawa's words came to him. At that time he hadn't thought, much about it, other than how this was affecting the child. And Kohaku felt his body stiffen.

Chihiro was Morigawa's mother. She had been talking about Chihiro. But, there was something else. Something he was forgetting from that conversation, something niggling at the back of his mind.

_"Is it really a bad thing, to get pregnant at fourteen and not have an abortion? People act like it's such a bad thing; shouldn't they be happier that I'm alive? Why does that make my mother shameless?"_

Then he remembered.

"_My mother was raped when she was fourteen, and became pregnant."_

Kohaku felt the strength in his legs grow weak as he sunk to the ground, clutching his head.

Chihiro, She was Morigawa's mother! She was the one who was raped?

How!

"_She was at a birthday party, and someone spiked her drink."_

No

"_She was raped. It wasn't voluntary, and the pregnancy was hard because grandfather demanded she get an abortion"_

No!

Kohaku felt sick, though his face showed none of his inner turmoil. As smooth of stone, not one emotion passed his features. He couldn't process it.

She was Morigawa's mother.

She was the one who was raped.

"_My mother refused, she said she was going to keep the baby, and was kicked out of the house. My mama worked so hard to support us, she dropped out of school and for the nine months that she was pregnant she worked so hard…But grandfather said he would only let mama back if I was put up for adoption...mama refused again, she said I was number one in her life, no matter where I came from."_

How could he have been angry at her? This…this was all his fault.

* * *

Chihiro waited a whole day before going back to the river. Half the day was to check on Morigawa, to be with her while she recovered. But Morigawa woke up fine with practically no memory of what happened. Whenever Chihiro tried to approach the subject, she would just shake her little head and say she didn't remember anything. So Chihiro felt it best to leave it at that, she didn't want to bring back any sad memories.

The other half of the day was spent dawdling, trying to buy time.

She knew she had to see him. They had to talk, to find out where they stood.

Chihiro knew that if he asked, he still wanted it so; she'd leave with him immediately. She wouldn't even need to pack. But only if Morigawa came too. Only if she knew he would love Morigawa too. And that seemed too much to ask of him; when she'd broken her promise to be only his. Now to ask him to care for another man's child. It was unfair.

But as much as she loved Kohaku, Morigawa came first.

But then again, he might be disgusted with her. He might have already gone back to the spirit world.

Chihiro didn't know how long he'd been at the Kohaku River; it had to have been some time during the last five years because he wasn't there anytime during the year she spent waiting. And she stopped going after Morigawa's birth. And every time she tried to get though the spire gate like before she'd find the entrance bricked up, with solid stone.

So now she found herself going to meet her first love, at the river they'd first met.

He wasn't there. The sun peeked through the trees and lit up the crystalline water as it gently lapped below. Chihiro had almost forgotten the sheer beauty of his river. This time though, she was here with more of a purpose than just waiting. "Ko…" she paused. If she was going to summon him, why not do it with style?

"Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi!" she called "Come out where I can see you, I wish to speak with you." Chihiro congratulated herself on being able to keep out the tremor that threatened to upset her tone. Her voice strong and firm, she had her arms crossed and she held her elbows for support, her back straight and her head held high.

She wasn't here as Chihiro; that child from nine years ago. She was _Chihiro_, Morigawa's mother, the woman of today that Kohaku was going to have to accept.

At first there was nothing, but then Chihiro felt a gust of her ghost over the back of her neck as the water began rippling.

Her heart almost stopped when from the water, a dragons head began rising, water rolled off its slick silver scales, dripping from the green fur lined along its serpentine neck. it rose majestically, Kohaku's dragon form. He was beautiful.

And bigger then she remembered.

He watched her for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding. His form grew smaller until it had shrunk down to the form of a young man, dressed in a grey and blue Yukata, his black hair out and hung a little past his shoulders. His face was without emotion and Chihiro felt her heart sink.

Not this face, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was he angry, disappointed, what? She would have preferred it if he was angry, she hated when he was like this. Even his eyes were cold.

But then he gave a small smile "Chihiro" and suddenly, that confidence of the proud mother she had built up to confront him with almost melted away as she had to physically restrain herself from throwing herself in his arms and bawling like a child.

But with a pinch on her forearm, she kept still. "Kohaku"

"Such a grand summoning?" he commented, still smiling, she couldn't tell if it was a jokey smile or a sarcastic smile, his eyes hid its meaning well.

"Well, I've always wanted to call you by your full name, and now I have the chance." She said with a smile of her own. If he wanted this to be a game then Chihiro wasn't playing, she would show how she'd feeling. Not that she could hide anything from Kohaku anyway.

They stood in silence, neither knowing what to say.

"Kohaku" she tried to interrupt but he spoke first.

"I didn't know"

"Pardon?" she said, he spoke so softly she almost didn't hear him.

He raised his head and for a moment his mask broke to reveal the pain hidden beneath "I didn't know she was your daughter."

Chihiro felt like crying. No, this was worse than making him angry… in all her wondering of how he would react, she had never though he'd be hurt.

"I met your daughter many months ago" He said, his mask back. "She just found her way to the river. Her feet were burnt." He laughed "You've raised her so well; so intelligent, so kind and pure. I was a pleasure. We met as she came to the river regularly, and I grew fond of her. I don't take to people that often, it is very rare when I become fond of anyone, but it makes sense now, she was your daughter."

"Kohaku" Chihiro interrupted "I'm so sorry." This was breaking her heart. _'Please don't look so hurt'_

He looked surprised at her apology "What for?"

Was this him punishing her, asking her to repeat her mistake? She bit her lip and hung her head. Very well, perhaps she deserved it.

"For…breaking our promise." She whispered "I know I promised that time, to wait for you, to love you forever and eternity" she laughed. Things had seemed so simple back then as a child, forever and eternity; waiting for a while didn't feel like much. She thought it would be easy. Now that Yubaba was defeated, everything would go perfect. But life had different plans. "And yet I broke our promise."

Chihiro" he said, his voice suddenly steely "You were raped."

This she hadn't expected. Her head snapped up "What!" how had he known.

"Many months ago, Morigawa told me of her mother. Of how much she loved her, of how she was raped and had a child at a young age and was hated for it."

Morigawa had told him. "Why? Why did she tell you that!" she felt ashamed. She'd rather him think it was willing than know of her shame. Being raped was the single most humiliating thing to ever happen to her, it had almost destroyed her, Morigawa was the only good thing that came out of it. And now Kohaku knew. Chihiro wanted to run away and never look back, she never wanted him to know. How could Morigawa betray her like that?

Kohaku seemed to realise Chihiro's agitation "She was hurt" he said "Morigawa. She said that it was her fault that you were being mistreated. That it was her fault you were suffering."

All Chihiro's anger dissipated. Morigawa thought everything was her fault. No!

Come to think of it, how had Morigawa even known she was raped? Chihiro had never told her.

Then it hit her, her father must have said something. So all this time, Morigawa had been carrying that burden, knowing something horrible happened to her mother and thinking it was her fault. Chihiro wanted to go back home now and hug her child; she wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault. Oh why hadn't Morigawa said anything!

"Why?" seemed to slip out.

This time when Kohaku smiled, it was kind "She's a lot like you. Kind. Always wanting to take care of everyone around her. She didn't want you to worry."

Her emotions were threatening to swallow Chihiro whole, it was times like this she hated being female. Yet through sheer determination Chihiro held herself together.

"So…you know?"

He was silent for a moment more before admitting "I know."

"Kohaku I'm sorr…"

"Don't apologise!" he cried before turning his head away.

"Don't apologise he repeated. Then he strode forward till he was stood on the banks with her. Chihiro said nothing more, still in shock. This was her first time hearing Kohaku raise his voice!

His hands twitched, like he wanted to put them on her shoulders, before he made them go lax and they fell to his side. "Don't apologise. How can you apologise, this, this wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was" she protested, all the guilt and shame bubbling over. She hated when people said it wasn't her fault, because then all her doubts surfaced, all those little 'what if's' , all the things she could have done to prevent it but didn't, all her regrets that made her feel so stupid. And they were spilling out my mouth.

"It is my fault. I shouldn't have been at that party, I shouldn't have been drunk. Maybe he was right, maybe I was asking for it? I was wearing a really short skirt. I was the one who was so stupid to actually let him walk me out without telling anyone. Me! I'm the one who was so stupid." she wanted to stop; Kohaku was looking more and more strained, like he was holding something back too. And what's more, this was humiliating.

"I'm the one who was so stupid. It's all my fau…"

"None of it would have happened if I had been there!" he finally yelled.

It was her second time hearing him raise her voice, but that's not what shocker her into single syllable sentences "What?"

He bowed his head, she couldn't see his face

"It's not your fault. Never Chihiro. No matter what you were doing, how what you were wearing, I'm sure you cried" his voice sounded like it was shaking. "I'm sure you screamed and begged. "I'm sure you were scared. And you cried. It's not your fault. I know you said 'no' I know you begged him to stop. I know you didn't…I know."

It was the last thing she expected him to say. Then she felt his shoulders shaking.

When he looked up, she saw it. He wasn't crying, he wasn't making a scene, but somehow his face, his eyes were screaming. He didn't blame her. He blamed himself.

"Kohaku, no!"

"Chihiro" he took her face in his hands, they trembled slightly, he was so angry. But not at her, at himself.

"I should have found you. You've been waiting so long. I told you to wait for me, but this was too cruel. I should have found you sooner."

For nine years, Chihiro had been entertaining the idea that he'd forgotten her. That his promise was made as a carless thought; a vow made in the high of the moment. She had even fooled herself into being angry at him. But now, hearing his voice shake, feeling his shoulders tremble with regret, she knew otherwise. She had always known how much their promise meant to him. How could she have forgotten?

But in all her time lamenting over her rape. She never once blamed him for it.

"Kohaku?" she whispered "It's not you, it's not your fault."

"It is" he insisted "I should have prevented it, it should have never happened."

"No" she cried "It's not your fault!" she cupped his cheek. She couldn't bear to see him in pain. Not him. He should be proud and happy, like he always is. "It's not. What happened, it's terrible and I hate it. I hate it every day!"

He frowned. She tipped his chin up to look at her "But without it I wouldn't have my daughter. And while I hate the man who hurt him, I love my daughter. Of Kohaku. I'm so sorry. You might hate it so. But I love her so much. You couldn't know much I love her. In all these years, she had been my strength and my light, the reason I was able to make peace with what happened. I love Morigawa, and so don't do this to yourself."

He was silent, obviously thinking on what she said. Good, let him think. Let him think and realise than blaming himself for something like this was useless.

Then he said "I don't hate you for loving her. I love her too."

Kohaku would never know how happy he had made her at that moment. He took all her fears or at least her biggest fear and tore it to shreds. If he loved Morigawa too, if he still loved her, then nothing else mattered. Not her rape, bot her school, not her humanity, not her long wait. And she knew he still loved her. With his mask gone, she could see it in the way he looked at her. Now there was nothing holding them back.

Looking up into his face she realised how much he'd changed. She looked older than him, if that was possible.

He was taller, but physically she was older. Perhaps as a spirit, he aged slowly. His height was that of a twenty year old. But his face, he looked no older than seventeen. It made her sad to think she wouldn't have long with him. But if all they had was her lifespan, then Chihiro didn't want to waste even one more second.

Her hand caressed his cheek, bringing him out of his thoughts. She smiled "I've missed you. So much."

He leant into her palm "Me too."

"Do you still love me?" she knew the answer, but she still felt she needed to ask.

He smiled "More than anything. And you? Do you still love me, or…"

Chihiro was frankly fed up with this, she wasn't getting any younger! She leaned forward and kissed him before slipping in a "Yes."

* * *

Morigawa stared up at the moon; from her bed she had a beautiful view of it. She always loved the moon, but right now she felt lonely.

Her mother left a while ago, Morigawa pretended to sleep so she would leave, she had a feeling they needed to meet. Her mother and Haku-san.

He didn't know they knew each other. They didn't know, but Morigawa had woken up sometime while in the sphere. She saw Haku-san holding her mother. She said her name '_Chihiro'_. And the way he looked at her, like she was a precious jewel.

Morigawa felt strange. Like something was gnawing in her stomach. She thought about how her mother had looked at Haku-san. She'd never seen that expression on her mother face before. It was so strange. And it made Morigawa feel funny.

Morigawa was a very intelligent child, she knew lots of things. So it didn't take long to realise that this was the person her mother loved. Haku-san.

So many thoughts were running around in Morigawa's mind, he didn't know how to organise them.

If Haku-san loved her mother, would be angry now he knew she was a product of her mother's rape? Would he hate her too, like everyone else? The idea hurt, because he was her friend, her only friend. he saved her.

And her mother.

Morigawa was happy her mother would be together with the person she loved. But where did that leave Morigawa? Now her mother would be happy, Morigawa wanted that. But would she leave? Leave with Haku-san?

Leave Morigawa behind?

Leave Morigawa alone?

Of course she would.


End file.
